Of Monsters and Men
by destinoscelgo
Summary: AU/AH Taking place in New York City, Detective Elena Gilbert and her partner Damon Salvatore, are on the hunt for a serial killer when Elena makes an ally in someone she never expected.
1. Chapter 1

**An AU/AH fic that came from me watching one too many episodes of Law and Order. Rated M for some mature content, deaths and dark atmosphere (I guess). In this story you will meet a TON of TVD characters some more minor than others, all placed in random parts of the story (but still relatively important nonetheless)  
It was sort of a random decision I made a couple of weeks ago to write this, and while working on One Hundred Years and Even in Death (oh and the thousand of other fics I have going on in my brain) I had to get this one on paper. I will be updating regularly (probably once a week, maybe every week and a half depending on how I progress with the others) but please be patient I am not starting this just to abandon it!  
**

**I still do not own The Vampire Diaries or it's characters (personally, I would settle for just the characters, but I digress) I also do not own the band Of Monsters and Men, which is where the title to this story came from because I was lacking in originality, and it seemed horrifyingly fitting.**

(And I don't know how it happened, but somehow this story became marked Elijah/Caroline...completely unintentional! This is an EE fic lol so it's fixed now!)  


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**Chapter One  
**

_Drip, Drop, Drip, Drop  
_Rain pattered against the window, like the sounds of horses hooves clacking onto the cobblestone path through Central Park, but it was ten at night so the horse drawn carriages were gone for the day.

"Already leaving Elena?"

The woman pulled her jeans on quickly a she turned back to the man in his bed, as she never took anyone home to her place.

"Yeah Damon, it's late and I have to take Koga out since Jer isn't around." She replied quickly and by the look over Damon's ice blue eyes, too quickly.

"You can stay the night you know, it is raining…kind of hard. I'm sure the mutt will be fine." He made a reach for her hand, but Elena stepped away, tying her long pin straight brown hair into a pony tail.  
The truth was, Elena didn't want to spend the night, it was a bit too "relationship-like" for her, and when two NYPD detectives (who were also partners) bed together, things could only get more complicated. She didn't need any bumps in the road when her career was a straight path ahead of her.

"A little rain never hurt anyone, besides, we have work in the morning, or did you forget?" She already had her boots on and was pulling her coat over her body when thunder crashed from above.

"Of course I didn't forget, but I'm surprised you didn't. Isn't that the only reason you slept with me anyway? You want to forget about work?"

Rustling around under the sheets, Damon sat up, the burgundy cloth still wrapped around his waist and Elena had to divert her gaze from him. Damon Salvatore was an exceptionally good looking man and she could easily find herself physically attracted to him, the way his bright blue eyes contrasted against his raven colored hair, and the scruff that shadowed his jawline would make the aqua pools shine even brighter as they pierced directly into her chocolate browns. She refused to examine the rest of him, even as he would force his presence on her to draw attention to each and every muscle. She had seen enough of him tonight, and from the mood that she was in, for the rest of eternity. Elena needed more than him, and while he was right –she was using him to forget about the current horrors of the case they were working on- Elena knew what they were doing was wrong.

While growing up, she was raised in the belief that only "city girls" had friends with benefits, and while she grew up in the small town of Mystic Falls, she saw after two years of living in New York City just how much she had changed.

"I am not talking about this right now Damon. I'm sorry."

"Fine" he sneered, folding his arms over his chest, "Do what you have to do."

Her partner was usually the cold one of the pair, playing more the "bad cop" to Elena's "good cop" , but most of the time he understood her motivations while now things seemed to get clouded in the act of removal of clothing and everything else that happened after.  
This was not who she was though, Elena Gilbert was a young promising detective who many believed to have moved up the ranks too soon and at the bright age of twenty five to Damon's twenty eight, had never been in love before. She was driven solely by her job, helping those in need, it was her dream. Homicide was what she lived, breathed ate and drank, and apparently even made love in it's name.

Seeing Damon stare at her with glazed eyes made her heart sink, the same look as the time before this.

She had made a mistake.

"I will see you at work tomorrow," the brunette tried to smile as she opened his bedroom door, she felt absolutely dreadful for what she was doing to her partner-her friend most of all- but she had to cut this off before it became even more complicated.

"All right, get home safe." He grumbled, and Elena knew usually he would have told her to text her when she got home, or give him a call but by now he was probably done with seeing her face as well.  
He walked her to the door tentatively, and with each step, Elena felt the air of regret weighing down on her. The turning of a key in the lock brought them both to freeze and instinctively (as if it wasn't his apartment) Damon put his hand out in front of her to stop her stride, but she pushed past regardless, opening the door.

On the other side was a young dirty blonde haired man who looked worn down to the core and like a soaked rat.  
"Stefan!" Elena smiled, pulling Damon's younger brother into a quick hug. "Sorry I haven't gotten the chance to see you yet, but how is the new job?"

The younger Salvatore, at twenty six years old, had just started the fall semester as a history teacher at the local high school. Elena and he had become fast friends when she started working with his brother, and knew it wasn't his dream profession (working in a high school that is) but it was a good way to get his foot in the door. In a way, Stefan was like a brother to her (which added yet another reason why she could never be with Damon in that way, she looked at him like a brother as well) so as long as he was content where he was, she was happy for him.

"Not bad, brings back enough memories I would rather not come to mind, but it could be worse."  
Elena nodded, knowing exactly what memories he was talking about. High school, even with states between them, had been hard on both of them.

"Well I'm on my way out so I'll see you around Stef okay?" she passed a smile to her friend and turned back to wave at Damon, but frowned when she saw he disappeared into the bathroom, most likely to avoid questions from his brother. It was a normal sight for Stefan to find Elena in the apartment at all hours of the night, but with Damon in only a bed sheet? That was not something he would not want to see, and they wouldn't hear the end of it…ever.

The Salvatore's apartment was slightly more "middle class" than her own cheap one bedroom, but the halls of the building were still grey and dismal with some of the paint peeling to the ground. As she ran to the elevator, she could hear the sounds of the Russians down the way, arguing and tossing around the furniture. She made it down to the main floor without getting roped into a conversation with any of the straggling neighbors (which for city people, Damon's neighbors were freakishly polite to them both, but that was most likely because they knew the two were cops.) and ran outside, throwing her blue hoodie over her head as she waved on for a cab.

It was eleven at night when the cab dropped her off at her own building which was, in comparison to Damon and Stefan's, much less inviting (as the people were too) and dark since getting the maintenance man down to fix anything was like pulling teeth from a rabid dog lately. She waved hello to John, the lonely bitter old man who spent his entire day sitting behind the desk in her cringe-worthy apartment building, Elena scurried up to the elevator and crossed her fingers the entire way up to the eighth floor. This was a habit that had become routine since her first day of moving in with Jeremy (who moved into the apartment down the hall) and the elevator had broken down, taking nearly two hours for the repair man to come and get them out. It was not the most inviting way to be welcomed to the Big Apple.

The grey doors to the urine smelling elevator squeaked open, and she brushed the hair out of her eye which was plastered against her skin. When she reached her door, the key that would manage to get stuck sporadically, clicked into place and thankfully turned allowing it to open straight into the living room, which was decorated with pictures of her life before the city. That was before she got promoted and transferred to the New York Police Department Homicide division two years before. It was an attempt on her end to make the apartment look like home, even though it was only an empty shell of the life she now lived.  
Crime scene images have filled her thoughts as of late, and if she wasn't at the precinct or at the bar with her work friends, the only reason she ever went home was to sleep the memories away, only to be plagued by others, and to spend time with her dog. It was a never ending cycle, going in, going out.

Just as Elena moved to slump onto her couch (one of the only things she bought brand new once moving to New York ) the house phone rang, stirring Koga up from his sleep in the bedroom doorway (a reminder she had to let him out before going to bed herself) with a soft growl. There was only one reason that anyone would call her this late, somebody had to have died, and with a look at the caller ID, her suspicions were confirmed.

They had been chasing him for weeks, whoever this murderer was. Already the psychopath had twelve kills under his belt…that they knew of…with three people murdered each Friday night. They should have been prepared, she should have known better than to go out, she should have gotten her sleep. It was going to be one of those evenings.  
It was midnight when Elena arrived at the crime scene, this one in a back alley, and this time around she was thankful to remember her umbrella.  
Hopping out of her cab again, (she saw no point in buying a car, she had nowhere to put it) Elena bumped into the coroner who was rushing past with his assistant and a stretcher carrying a body bag on top.

"Hey Cary." She had to project her voice over the loud buzz of the rain pounding to the ground and the scattered voices of the other police officers on the scene.

"Detective! We've got two more over that way by your partner and the Captain. You might want to get over there quick; everyone is rushing around as you can see."

Elena surveyed the area, the coroner wasn't joking about the commotion. In an effort to preserve the crime scene, the uniforms and the rest of the investigators were scouring the ground for any possible evidence while flashes, reflecting into the puddles formed, shown brightly as pictures were being taken.

"Elena!"  
The brunette turned, gripping onto her badge instinctively, to Damon who was wearing a black t shirt and jeans, which matched Elena's current relaxed style. She didn't want to admit that she wasn't prepared to see him after only an hour and a half before with what happened, but she had a job to do.

"What happened here?" she cut straight to the point, leaving the niceties to the curb where they belonged for the moment while her eyes darted around the scene like chasing fireflies in the night. She was making sure to take a mental note of her surroundings as she looked down to her feet where the rain water ran down the black asphalt, any evidence floating away with it. The coloring of the street however, was off in the slightest; the runoff was flowing red as blood, what little there was left.

"Same M.O as the last four," he replied, pretending as if nothing had happened between them only an hour before, leading her to the center of the crime scene.  
One body remained untaken, it was, however, wrapped in thick heavy plastic. "Three victims. Erin Carlson, Mark Ruben and Sean Granger, all drained of blood from their wrists and their neck." He knelt down and lifted the plastic just enough to show a male victim's wavy blonde hair, but Elena had to look away. On the table, she could look the dead straight in the eye without flinching, she could watch the coroner remove the heart, or even examine the brain with the scalp slipped forward covering their face. Where others would get sick, instead she would ask questions and take study the body hands on. Seeing one cold, out in the open, where they didn't belong dead but rather living their lives, was a different story and she would quickly find herself getting attached.

"He's getting smarter." She mused with disgust rolling over her tongue, "Keeping the bodies in the rain will wash away any evidence."

"Or sloppy." Damon pointed out with a pass of his hand, "This time, we have a witness. The Captain is with her now."

Elena shot to her feet and followed her partner's pointed finger in the direction of her police captain, Alaric Saltzman. There has never been a witness before.

"I…I have to go talk to her!" she gasped waving to Damon as the coroner returned. When she went over to the captain and the teenaged girl, she couldn't help but laugh to herself at the relaxed state of her relationship with her partner. Sure it was awkward for both of them as even Elena could cut the tension with a knife, but they managed to keep an airy feel between them in conversation.

"Captain." She announced her presence quietly over the sea of umbrellas, "This is the witness?"  
Alaric Saltzman had been the captain of their squad for only four years, and helped her acclimate to the city when she moved in. Elena figured him as more of a father figure, a mentor, since she had lost her own when she was a teenager. He was one of the best men she had ever known.  
Alaric turned his attention to her and nodded intensely, his light brown hair plastered over his piercing hazel eyes as he pulled her next to him in front of the young blonde teenaged girl.

"This is Ana Woods. She is a waitress at the diner down the block and was walking home when she saw someone fleeing the scene. That was when she discovered the bodies."

Elena nodded with a frown, pitying the poor girl. Nobody that young should have to see something as horrible as this, yet she stood in front of her, still in her work uniform and soaked.

"Did you call the sketch artist? It might help to get this bastard's face all over the papers."

Alaric agreed but gave his detective a passing look as he realized they had gained a small crowd on the other side of the police tape.

"I'm going to take her home, we don't need her getting harassed…or discovered."

Elena scanned the crowd through the drops of rain coming off of her umbrella when she saw an older familiar face waving frantically from the other end of the tape.

"Detective!" the woman called out while being pushed back by an officer, "Detective Gilbert!"

Elena approached, trying to shield her emotions from this grieving woman. Her son David was one of this killer's first victims, along with his girlfriend and another friend. Over the past month, Elena became dangerously close to the family and they managed to come into her life much deeper than she had intended.  
Agnes, the mother, was an elderly woman who always managed to stay positive even though her husband (who she had only met twice) seemed more depressed on the matter but Elena knew the woman was only putting on a strong front. She had done it herself when she lost her parents. She called daily for an update on the case, and each day Elena became increasingly distressed to have to tell her they had nothing and over the month more bodies for these ritualistic killings built up, yet no evidence had ever surfaced.

"Is it him again?" she whispered, her hands frail from worry as her body shook like a leaf. It killed the detective to nod a yes to her, just as it did each week she had seen her since her own son's murder.

"It's looking like it…"

"I may just be a convenience store clerk, but I have watched enough episodes of Law and Order and CSI to know that the rain washed away the evidence…" She grabbed onto the detective's hand with pleading, desperate eyes the rain water hitting her face where tears could have (should have) been, and the look shattered Elena's heart. Hope was becoming lost to this woman, and Elena Gilbert was her only anchor.

"Will we ever catch him?" She was crumbling before the detective, all of her heart and soul had gone into searching for her son's killer. This was only another piece to be washed away.

"There is only hope Agnes…" she placed a reassuring hand on the woman's cold, wet shoulder. "There is always margin for error. You have to keep that in mind. We will catch him."  
The woman laughed while wiping a tear (or rain, Elena couldn't tell the difference anymore) from her eye.

"Easy for you to say…you do this for a living…"  
Elena shook her head as her heart dropped. Had she really turned so cold? Turning her back against Damon, shutting him out as she did (regardless of if it was truly wanted, because she didn't, but she could have let it down easier) this woman and her feelings, maybe she had become numb.

"We have a witness this time. I told you, there is always a margin for error." For a moment, there was a look of relief on the haggard mother's face.

"You need to go home and spend time with your family." The brunette directed, nodding to an officer who was standing guard by the yellow tape, "and this officer will take you home all right?"

Agnes stepped even closer to Elena, a new look shining in her eyes that even the rain couldn't dim.  
"They have a witness?"

Elena had never seen the woman so elated, they were brought together by the destruction of her family, yet now she was smiling. This is why she loved her job.

"You should be going home too Detective. You look exhausted."

With a sigh, Elena waved goodbye to the woman as she followed the officer to the squad car and turned back to the now cleared crime scene.

No body, no evidence and enough rain to flood a basement to the top, there was nothing more that she could do here.

"Need a ride?"

The brunette turned sharply, her heart pounding in her chest, to be face to face with Damon, who seemed to have lost his umbrella on the way.

"No, I'm all right, I'm just going to hail another cab." She wasn't prepared to be in the car with him just yet.

Her partner's lips turned into a frown and his eyes turned into tiny disappointed beads as he stared at her. "You don't need to be like this Elena."  
Of course she knew this already, they were partners, and in the head of the moment (or two) they had made a mistake (or two).

She wanted to feel what love was, but this was not the way.

Elena arrived back at home with only a couple of hours left to sleep. She had specifically moved close to the precinct, yet one more way to tie herself only to her profession, so she wouldn't have to commute.

"Hey Koga" she grumbled, greeting the two year old black Great Dane, a gift from her Aunt Jenna before she left Mystic Falls to "protect her niece from the city". He was one of her only friends outside of work, besides the ones she kept from Mystic Falls, and the only thing she looked forward to coming home to. "I owe you a jog I know…Sorry buddy." She scratched him behind the ear before filling his food bowl, barely able to stand on her own two feet, let only take her one hundred and twenty pound dog for a run.

With a sigh, Elena dragged her feet to the bedroom and changed into an oversized t-shirt and shorts before checking her cell phone, which she conveniently left behind when she got the call to the crime scene. She had one text message from Caroline, one of her best friends who moved to New York a year before she did to attend school for fashion design. Ignoring it, knowing she would get back to it tomorrow, she set her alarm clock, and saw she had three hours until sun rise.

A new day, a new case, and hopefully new evidence for the old.

With all of this "new" in the equation, the days should not feel the same each time around.

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**I will make this clear right now, this is not a story about a love triangle (some of you may be confused.) This is an Elijah/Elena fic, but this chapter becomes important later on in the story so (unfortunately/fortunately ) it was necessary.**

**Please review! :)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two  
One Week Later**

It was a cool brisk Friday morning, so before heading to the precinct, Elena finally decided to take Koga for the long awaited, and promised jog through Central Park.  
The past week had been spent following up on any leads for the "3X Killer" as the media dubbed him, which all led nowhere. Even the sketch from the first liable witness brought in nothing, as it was a man with a five o'clock shadow, sunglasses, and a hood. Not the best description, but it was better than nothing she supposed. Needless to say, running around like a chicken without a head trying to find a man with sunglasses and some stubble had taken her attention away from her exercise…and Koga's.  
They had nothing, but each day when Agnes called, she found herself lying through her teeth. "We are still searching" or ""we are just following up on another lead". It killed Elena to give this woman false hope since the truth was that they once again, had nothing, but knowing she helped the tired old woman sleep with some peace of mind had made it all worth it.  
Tonight was their next shot; they were going to patrol the streets for any sign of their killer. It was Friday, and he was nothing if not on schedule.

Amidst Elena's thoughts as she jogged with Koga, she hadn't even taken the time to breathe in the fresh air, the smell of crisp leaves that were fallen onto the path as they crunched under her feet and Koga's oversized paws. This case had ruined her eye for natural beauty. Draining someone's blood, slitting their throats and wrists wide open? The act was unnatural on it's own. How could she see anything else anymore? Everything more just seemed to be so…tainted of the purity it deserved now.

Kogas deep bark snapped the detective (who had stopped being as observant as she should) back from her morbid thoughts, but not in enough time to crash into what felt like a brick wall.

"Ow!" she cried out, staring into a man's broad chest, his blue t-shirt the only thing she saw for a moment. "Oh god, I am so sorry!" instantly, Elena began to apologize, but wouldn't look up to the stranger's face.  
The man only laughed however, in what seemed to be intended to be light-toned he grasped her carefully by the shoulders and stepped back to survey the damage, but Elena refused to look at him from embarrassment, but she could see the skin around his chin tighten as he smiled.

"Hello there."

Koga sat tall by the detective's side as she put her head in her hands, shaking his own from her shoulders. "Again, I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention!" Feeling ridiculous, and sure they had an audience, Elena slid past him, giving a half of a wave. For some reason, she was lost for any other words, where while in the past, she would have stopped, said hello, apologized, and possibly flirted a little, but not this time.  
Not anymore.  
"Have a nice day!" She called off to him, running away with Koga at her side, leaving him in the dust with her focus forced ahead of her. She was going to head home.

A quick shower and change put Elena in much better spirits as she went into work feeling confined by her dress slacks and tight green blouse that hung loose only around the neck,

Today would be different, she vowed to herself, they would catch the murderous monster who's number of victims was only climbing, she would be able to watch as they gave him the lethal injection as it was exactly what this monster deserved.  
Elena's mood was light and airy as she entered the precinct, but the moment she reached her squad room, the mood crashed to match the dark looks being passed around the room full of detectives.

For a moment, Elena only stood in the doorway, wary to enter while Alaric, visible from the door of his office stood at his desk, frantically speaking on the phone, while Damon looked on with his brow furrowed until he saw his partner and waved for her to join them.  
Once she was in the Captain's office, he had already hung up the phone-or rather, slammed it back on the receiver in frustration (with possibly a hint of fear).

"What's wrong Captain?" the brunette inquired, matching his worried expression. Alaric was usually more level-headed, able to make decisions for his team while pushing his emotions aside, and seeing him like this meant that it was serious.

"Our unknown friend has switched his pattern up." He spoke gravely, and Elena's heart plummeted to her stomach.  
_No. It's not supposed to happen like this. _She thought with anguish, every plan she had, her last chance before another was murdered had been shattered, broken into bits of mirrored shards to the ground.  
She had herself to blame here, she had expected too much (or not enough) from this killer.

"What are you talking about?" her voice rumbled and she gripped onto the chair for balance.

"He means the so called 3X killer struck one night early." Damon sneered, his eyes filled with the icy cold of anger, disgust and disappointment. "Which is why we have a crime scene to get to."  
Elena's conscious held heavy while her partner sauntered past her, and when she turned to follow, the captain held her back.  
"Detective," he requested of her tentatively, "do you have a moment?" He was looking straight to Elena as she pointed to herself and looked out the door, but Damon was already gone.

"What's wrong Captain?" she refused to allow her voice to quiver. In a way, Alaric worried her, his look of disappointment making her feel as if a lecture was coming her way. He was more like her father than she ever would have wanted.  
"I'm not so sure there is a problem Gilbert, that is why I am talking to you about it first." Once in a while, her captain's hazel eyes would change from green or brown depending on the lighting, or even his mood. Right now they were a darker shade of green, prodding into Elena's as she considered his expression and finally came to the decision that it was disdainful, possibly as if he was (dare she think it) betrayed by her.

"What of?" she finally squeaked out after careful, tedious thought. She closed the door as Alaric sat at his desk and motioned for his detective to do the same, but she declined. She wanted whatever was on his mind out and sitting down only make her more nervous.

"It's about you actually, and your…fraternization with a member of the squad."  
Elena gasped while shifting back on her feet, this couldn't be real.

"Captain I…" she felt like she just got caught sneaking out of her parent's house on a school night.

"Listen, I won't judge you. " he cut her off, "But whether the rumors are true or not…I don't think I need to explain to you how stupid it is to mess around with a co-worker." His tone was as sharp as a knife, but his eyes were seemingly forgiving. All of their usual niceties and common titles were out the window now, and Elena had to defend herself.

"Rick you know I…I'm not like that. What happened had been a mistake." She stepped closer to her captain's desk, wondering who it was that found out about her and Damon's…"relationship" (which she wouldn't exactly call it that) , the desk had been empty besides the picture of his wife, who passed a few years back, Isobel, and met his gaze. "It will not happen again sir."

Alaric's arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back, unimpressed by her tone, whether it be in an official tone, or a friendly one. "Elena, I worry about you, you know there is no reason for you to date someone that you work with." This fatherly advice was beginning to get to her, "I wish you would get yourself a personal life…you know, outside of work. Otherwise I am afraid you are going to go crazy."

Elena couldn't help but smile. Silently, Alaric was telling her that he didn't want her to turn out like he did. Her captain lived, breathed ate and slept the job (especially since Isobel passed away). Even Damon had a social life, but she never saw it as a possibility for herself. Elena was just too invested in her job. She wanted to help others first, and put her own life to the side.

"You act like it is so easy for me to meet people!" she laughed, that was how light hearted and thoughtless she felt about her love life (or lack-there-of). It was a joke. "The first time in weeks I met someone of the opposite sex was this morning when I crashed into him on my jog and I didn't even want to look at his face!" she sighed listlessly, she had no hope. She couldn't even start a conversation with a potentially good looking man out of her own awkwardness. She wasn't even able to look him in the face to apologize the job had ruined her so badly. She had heard of so many stories when it came to women who didn't have any idea that the man they loved had been some heartless killer or some mob boss. Elena never wanted to fall prey to anyone like that.  
She was twenty five years old, and at this rate, she was going to be forever alone.

How depressing.

"I'm just warning you, avoid work relations Elena, they are more complicated than necessary."  
The detective nodded, but she had already made that decision for the same reasons (one of the many) so this conversation-or sad attempt at a lecture- was becoming pointless.

"I know Captain," she smiled as sweetly as she could, slipping back into formal mode. "Now I have a crazed murderer to hunt down if you don't mind." She turned her back to Alaric, and as she went to the door she heard him say "Like a dog Gilbert, hunt him like a dog."

Damon and Elena pulled up to an older looking apartment on the west side, the steps busy with crime scene investigators and more uniforms. They had barely gotten out of the vehicle when two officers whisked them up the stairs to the crime scene which was much…bloodier than the last few.

"This entire time we never knew what he was using the blood for…" Elena noted, tugging at her arms, "It looks like he never needed it."  
"Sadistic bastard." Damon spat, moving throughout the scene, which was in the living room of the home and in complete disarray. Glass had been broken on the floor where a lamp used to stand, it's shade ripped to shreds, showing it was likely one of the victims tried to fend off the killer from a knife attack. Pools of blood were formed around the lifeless bodies and from their positioning and their current surroundings, Elena could see it was a hack job. She went over to examine the bodies before the medical examiner took them away, her own skin twitching the entire time as seeing them like this, barely out of their teens would likely haunt her.

"So young…" the brunette sighed while kneeling before them. They looked like they were in their early twenties, and when she turned to find her partner, who usually did this part of the job, Damon-to her own surprise- was off to the side talking to the owner of the household and by the looks of the blood spattered pictures on the walls, he was the girl's father.  
She watched closely, not catching any of their names, as her partner led the man and his wife outside when she heard a gasp come from one of the crime scene techs.

"What is it?" Elena stood and saw Damon return to the living room, wearing a forlorn expression. He always loathed speaking with the families, which is why usually their current roles were reversed.  
Both detectives had their attention focused on Hannah, one of the newer crime scene techs, whose eyes were shining in excitement.

"I may have him." The tall brunette was beaming as if she had found out that she won the lottery, which with the following information. She looked like she could hardly contain her excitement , which was understandable. This was big news.

"What do you mean you may have him?" Damon snapped as he put on a pair of white latex gloves and rolling his sleeves to his navy blue dress shirt.

"What I mean…is that any sign of prints around here have been wiped clean…except this one right….here." she smiled again as she lifted the tape from the smooth molding on the wall. "From the looks of it, we have a perfect print. If I leave now, I may have it ready for you tonight."

Elena's heart soared at the idea, the thought of having a real lead was beginning to sound foreign to her. This was it, the big break they needed in this case. This was surreal, and as she watched Hannah run out the door, followed by two other officers, she was left with Damon, the coroners who finally arrived (late due to a devastating car accident on Broadway) and the bloody crime scene.

"I could really use a drink after this…" Damon exhaled looking out the nearby window that overlooked the city streets, "It has to be five o'clock somewhere right?"  
Elena tried not to laugh (it seemed so inappropriate at the grotesque view before her) and ambled past him while patting her partner on the shoulder.

"Let's go Damon. We have the other families waiting for us at the precinct."

There were too many tears, too much heartbreak, and still not enough explanation. They were depending on the new evidence and Elena was not kidding around with every hour that she called looking for an update. She didn't care who she pissed off, she had families that needed answers, something that the crime scene techs would never understand.  
Without that print, they have nothing, and for once she had good news for Agnes when she called but Elena hadn't heardfrom the woman in two days.  
Something had to be wrong and it was midafternoon when she got the call. A woman found unconscious in her home. In all of her detective prowess (or in this case, lack thereof) Elena had no idea the elderly woman-whose son had been taken too soon- had been ill all along.

Mercy Hospital was dangerously quiet for the afternoon, which some would take the silence as a good thing while Elena found the doom and gloom hanging heavy in the air discomforting as she walked down the hallway, lacking in the facetiously smiling nurses as they passed by.  
Room 502- the oncology wing.  
Elena knocked quietly on the door and waited for the faint voice to give her the OK to enter.

"Good afternoon detective, it's so nice to have another visitor." The frail woman looked greyer than the week before, "I'm sorry I haven't called, I've been a little preoccupied." Agnes passed a weak smile, her eyes still only partially open as Elena sat down next to the bed. This woman was so strong, regardless of her current position. Nobody else Elena knew would apologize for their inaction while strung up in a hospital bed, possibly dying of cancer.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she questioned, her look deepening in despair.

"Would it change anything?" the woman replied, rolling her head into the detective's direction and Elena only shook her head, feeling dejected. It wouldn't change much of anything, for her at least but that didn't mean she cared any less.

"Exactly." The woman coughed, "Besides, while you fight your battles out there, I fight mine in here." She seemed so valiant, even after the loss of her son, while she smiled warmly.  
Agnes was dying, and Elena still didn't have her son's killer. "My husband told me you had news?" The woman's faded green eyes were beginning to brighten at the thought, and Elena was proud to nod, having positive news for once.

"We found a print" she gleamed, and for a moment, the life returned to Agnes, the glimmer of hope that Elena longed to see finally coming back. That light however, shrouded to darkness the instant two nurses entered the room.

"Sorry detective, we need to get to her first round of chemo." The nurse piped up, giving an apologetic look and Elena stood.

"Agnes, I'll be here the second we find anything. I don't have any promises but we are hoping for the best. "

"Promise?" she had to reassure herself while the nurses moved her to a wheelchair and Elena nodded before running out the door.  
While walking down the hallway, she heard an angry yet familiar voice booming from the nurse's desk.

"Listen to me will you!? I am looking for a Detective E-Lay-Na Gilbert. You would know if she was here, so where the hell is she?"

"I understand what you are saying sir but-"

"Damon?" Elena froze in her path, confused at her partner's presence.

"Elena!" Glaring to the bewildered nurse, who threw her hands up in exasperation he ran to her. "Where have you been? Are you all right?" he gripped the brunette by the shoulders, his eyes glazed over in concern.

"I'm fine Damon!" she laughed, pushing him away, "Just visiting a friend." Her partner nodded, gripping her by the arm and led her out the door.

With each step, she wanted to speak her Captain's words again _"Things are getting complicated, I just want my partner" _In the beginning, she thought that she was kidding herself, but now she knew for sure. Seeing the look of worry in Damon's eyes, this was past a partner's concern, what had happened between them was a mistake.  
"What's going on?" she questioned, now wondering why he was in such a rush.

"Hannah got the print back."

When they arrived back at the precinct, Elena had thought Alaric looked distressed this morning, but now it seemed as if he needed more than one drink and had already had too much coffee.

"So what do we have?" she asked instantly, barely able to contain herself as she was ready to jump from her skin. Her captain only waved towards the conference room where the entire squad was waiting in front of a large dry erase board.  
When the three walked through the door, a sea of faces all turned their attention to Damon and Elena as Alaric took to the front of the room, his two lead detectives hanging back against the wall.

"So, Hannah down in the crime scene unit pulled a print from our latest crime scene." He began by sticking a picture of the molding the print came off of to the board. "It seems our perp is starting to get a bit sloppier and luckily she was able to rush it and we got a match."  
A wave of murmurs swept through the group, excitement playing through the air and even Elena stepped forward. This was big news, but Alaric's expression was less than celebratory.

"You don't look like you have good news Captain." Damon pointed out as they both approached closer.

"That would be because of whom the print belongs to." The Captain turned back with another picture and slammed it to the board with more angst then the last.  
Elena, now in the front of the group took a closer look to the surveillance photo as Alaric scribbled a name underneath.

_Nicklaus Mikaelson._

"Who is this?" she queried, pointing to the dirty blonde man, whose eyes were covered by dark sunglasses looked very similar to the police sketch by the witness. In the picture, the man was by a limo, walking with a man (who looked as if he could have been a bodyguard) with his back slumped slightly forward and his hand in the air with arrogance. Whoever this man was, unrecognizable to Elena's "New to New York" eye, he seemed to be in a position of power.

"That," Alaric pointed to the picture, "Is Nicklaus Mikaelson. The middle child of the entire family." He looked to Elena curiously, and then scanned the crowd to see others were unfamiliar. "You don't know who they are? That's okay because this is our shot to finally take them all down." He nodded to Elena, choosing to clear more space from the board and she could tell she was in for a lesson. In large letters at the top he wrote the words _Mikaelson_. "Now, when going for this family, you need to make sure you are able to bounce a quarter off of the evidence. I will give you the basics since going against them blind is suicide." He paused to make sure everyone was paying attention. "Nicklaus Mikaelson has been arrested multiple times in suspicion of robbery, two banks and who knows how many houses, but the team of lawyers his family has backing them is always getting the charges dropped, and some of the cops fired."

"What?" Elena's voice jumped, "How does someone have that much power?"

Alaric laughed while diverting his gaze, and Elena could see well enough that he hated this family, but regardless of his hatred…going from robbery to being a serial killer? That was a stretch Elena never thought possible.

"What would be his father, Mikael. He is a real estate mogul, owning multiple large companies all over the world. We have some intel on him, but none of it is good news. It is believed that Mikael runs his fingers through more than just buying properties and companies. We can add murder for hire and corporate espionage to the list and we are all sure there is more."

"Why hasn't he been arrested?" Elena pushed again, already disgusted but she was sure he wasn't finished.

"Well for starters, he is never in the country, so we can tell and practically untraceable. Now, I am not finished because the only way to take them down is to know the entire family. Their force is unwavering at this point. They are too powerful for their own good."  
Elena passé a glance to Damon, who was going through paperwork and she wondered if he had dealt with these Mikaelsons before.

"Now that "team" of lawyers is led by the second oldest son who runs as the silent owner of one of the largest law firms in the city, Finn. To be honest, besides running the law firm that puts criminals back on the streets, he seems to run more in league with his mother."  
Alaric put the other three pictures up, the older man and woman, both with frightening gazes, and of Finn, a carbon copy of his father with his thick brown hair and piercing green eyes yet his soft smile while he stood in defense of his client was slightly more comforting than those pictures of his father and younger brother.

"Esther Mikaelson, the matriarch, spends her husband's money on running charity events like a stepford wife." Elena examined the woman's picture, her never aging beauty making the detective, who could feel the wrinkles forming daily, cringe.

"How many more are there?" one uniform questioned, making Elena feel relief knowing she wasn't the only one unfamiliar with this family.

"Three." Damon stood, passing the rest of the papers to the Captain, who continued.

"These two," he put up two more photos, and from the looks of them, they must have been the two younger siblings both physically polar opposite of each other. The girl was young beautiful and blonde with a radiant and happy smile brightening her green eyes, and the young man had dark hair and eyes shadowed with a demonically wild expression showing his canines in a devil's grin…in their mug shots. "Meet Kol and Rebekah Mikaelson. If you follow the tabloids you know who they are as they prefer to be the life of the party which alone gets them into enough trouble. They are a paparazzi's dream, but a cop's nightmare. For starters, Rebekah was a champion gymnast growing up, and now she is…allegedly using those skills in stealing high-end art with the help of her two brothers. The three of them seem inseparable, which is making them unstoppable."  
To Elena, there was no such thing as unstoppable, but there was one missing piece she wanted to find as it seemed the captain was done.

"You said that there were three more, who is the last?" Alaric pointed his finger in the air, and shrugged slightly.

"That's…another problem. We only know his name and that he is the oldest of the family children. Otherwise we know him as a blank face named Elijah Mikaelson. We have no idea who he is, where he lives or what he does. To be honest, we don't even know if he is anything like his family at all."  
Elena raised an eyebrow, looking at the array of faces before her, combining their genetics in her mind to create the unknown brother to their suspect, Nicklaus. There were many things this man could be, he could be an asset, or their worst nightmare (and while she realized this applied to all of the family she found herself wondering if the hidden man was the smartest of them all) and as the officers around her began to murmur quietly amongst themselves, she realized that many of them were afraid. They were afraid to take on this family.

_Why?_ She wondered angrily. The Mikaelson family was breakable, they were only human.  
They would all have to pay for their crimes.

* * *

**I believe I promised I would be introducing Elijah this chapter, however..even though technically I didn't, he will be officially introduced the next chapter and we go from there. **

**I appreciate everyone's interest in this story of course :) Reviews are always adored/appreciated and I am hoping to update this again in about a week.  
Right now, these past two chapters have been more on setting the storyline/introducing the more central characters so I apologize now if it seems like it isn't going anywhere.  
**

**Please review and I hope you enjoy the rest of this story!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy October everyone :)  
I am really bad with updates, this whole week I have been pretty sick and my brain really hasn't been functioning properly (even if it gave me an idea for a new one shot) but that is not important. I want to thank everyone for reading & reviewing, you guys know you are awesome ;)  
I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

The room, cleared of all the officers, left only Elena, Damon and their captain to stare at the board full of surveillance photos, photos of a family that they could not touch.

"It says here, Mikael has been questioned on two murders." Damon pointed to the rap sheet hanging below the man's picture, and Elena examined it more closely for a long moment while Alaric moved to the laptop to go through his files for more detail.

"Yup." He confirmed after only one click of the mouse, "Two counts of first degree murder. Started out as conspiracy until whoever did it actually finished the job. Looks like Dad doesn't like getting his hands dirty and prefers hiring others to do the work for him just like I said," The captain shook his head in pure disgust, "Says here that they were looking directly into him since they were his business partners. I should talk to the investigating officer because it looks like they almost had taken him down…"

"Why wasn't he?" Elena demanded, not moving her eyes from the picture of Nicklaus Mikaelson and his smug expression in the still, pompous, carefree and worst of all…entitled.

"The gunman who was set to testify against him was found dead in his prison cell the night before he even stepped into the courtroom, a suicide note was left by the body. That was ten years ago."  
A strange sound erupted from her partner's throat as Elena shot around, steam practically shooting from her ears.

"What?! So he got away with it?"

Her captain nodded, shrugging one of his shoulders, "Yeah, they don't mess around Detectives. This family is dangerous and that is why you need to be extremely cautious when approaching them." He made it a point to stare directly at Damon as he spoke. Her partner was usually the more brash of the two, and has blown up or acted recklessly on more than one occasion, but this time it could ruin their case, and their careers. Elena however, while Damon was more outward with his emotions, was boiling on the inside and she was sure that her cheeks were bright red. The thought-the idea- that this family did as they pleased with no consideration for the law or other people's lives was ludicrous and borderline insulting.

"Who do these people think they are?" her voice was quiet and more to herself than the other officers, still staring at those superior expressions on the board, all of them looking like they were laughing at their inadequacy. Then, there was also the one blank face at the end, and she couldn't help but wonder if this spot was empty due to innocence? Or was he just better than the rest?

"These people, if you can even call them that have more money than they know what to do with, so they use it. They have friends everywhere Gilbert." The Captain took a deep sigh, tapping the board in frustration. "That is why you need to take each step by the book."

Of course Elena intended on following the rules (someone had to keep Damon in line after all) but this family was out of control. "So we have to walk on eggshells because they might pay someone off?" she huffed, tugging at her pants pockets thoughtlessly. "This is ridiculous."  
Alaric looked at her in surprise, but illogically so (she thought at least). He knew how close his detective had gotten to Agnes, their family's heartache had become her own.

"I don't disagree with you there," he sighed in unfortunate abhorrence. "But there isn't much we can do until we have at least a signed confession."

"So what are you saying? Is our job done here?" Damon snapped, still looking at the file on Mikael, "Those men he had killed? They had families. One left his son in the hands of children's services since his mother died in a car accident barely a year before." There was a rumble in her partner's throat as he hit the paper with his free hand.

"So he leaves a child an orphan and gets away with it because he knows a few people?" Elena, now tired of staring at the pictures, turned to face Alaric and Damon. Her feelings of hatred were forever growing towards the Mikaelson family it was becoming overwhelming. No matter how powerful they were, no matter how many friends they had, she would take them down one by one and each time she did, she would be doing it for mothers like Agnes and love every single second of it.

"It's not like that Elena…" Alaric was trying to be comforting, hoping she would relax, but there were fifteen murders committed by Nicklaus Mikaelson, at least, it had to be him. There were no other possibilities.

"Well, it sure sounds like it." She frowned deeply, her eyes fading in desperation. "We can't just allow this…monster to walk away! We have a print, that is more than enough for questioning." It wasn't as if they were planning on going in guns blazing so this "hold back" theory of her captain's seemed fruitless.

"The problem," he replied without any forethought as if he has done this dance before, "is that their lawyers will claim we questioned them wrongfully or under duress, or with some other bullshit like that and before we know it? Our entire case is out the window."

Elena stared with her mouth agape, the thought was outlandish and with each thing she learned about this family, the more she hated them. Each and every single thing made them look more disgusting, even Esther who covered up her family's wrongdoings by throwing charity events like she was maintaining a balance between good and evil. All she was doing was covering for them so she was just as at fault. Nicklaus wasn't the only one who needed to pay for his crimes, someone clearly needed to bring them down and Elena Gilbert was more than happy to play the reaper.  
She couldn't listen to it anymore, and when her phone rang it gave her the chance she needed to step away and think clearly. Taking a step away from the two other cops, who went back to going over the Mikaelson family's files (studying up on their target, as Damon joked) she went outside of the conference room.

"Caroline!" Elena smiled into the phone, keeping her tone light. She never wanted to bother her friend when it came to work stress, which in turn damaged their relationship slightly. Caroline Forbes lived a busy enough life in the world of fashion design, so they saw different kinds of beauty in the world around them.

"Hey 'Lena" she sounded serious, "Where the hell have you been? I've been calling you all week!"

Elena put her hand on her forehead and sighed, "I'm sorry Care, I have been really caught up in this case." Intentionally, she had been dodging her friend's calls over the past few days since the last time she slipped and shared a small piece of information on a string of robberies in the area. Caroline had mentioned the information to her boyfriend Tyler, who happens to be a defense attorney for some major law firm Elena could never remember the name to. She had no idea one of the partners of his firm, had been representing the accused.

Needless to say, Elena's captain (and the District Attorney, Jonas Martin) were not pleased.

"Oh right, that 3X Killer case right?" she could hear her friend shudder on the other end. "What a creeper." And Elena laughed. "Creepy" wasn't her own word of choice (monstrous seemed much more fitting). "Anyway, It's amazing you don't have a head full of greys you know! When will you come by so I can do your hair?"

Inwardly, Elena groaned. Caroline, who in her busybody ways, had gotten her cosmetology license, has been harassing the "worn down" detective to fix that flat, boring and lifeless hair (to quote the hairdresser herself) of hers and always give her fashion advice. Sometimes, being Caroline's friend was more work than being an NYPD detective.

"Maybe if, or when, we wrap this case up okay?" Said Elena with a light sigh. "I need to have my focus one hundred percent on finding this guy."

"Elena, you are going to wear yourself down to nothing if you keep at this the way you are."

"Care, your concern is touching, really, but coming from you this is very unnecessary Miss Busybody!" the brunette joked, looking back to her partner and captain, who were still looking over paperwork only seeming more concerned than before.

"Whatever Elena, always a cop first, I get it. Just don't forget about us 'civilians' all right?"

Of course Elena hadn't forgotten about any of her friends, and for the most part, in her own mind, she was doing this for all of them.  
A quick goodbye rushed between them and after hanging up, Elena went back into the conference room to see Alaric on the phone, talking in a hushed tone

"Did you tell Blondie I said hello?" Damon's eyes drifted upwards as he smiled teasingly. He knew just as well as anyone that Caroline only tolerated him for Elena's sake…and those feelings only extended as far as their nights spent at a bar after work.

"How did you know?" She hadn't started talking to her until she was out the door, so he didn't hear her say Caroline's name.

"I know that look that you get when you are being backed into a corner, and you play with your hair when she harasses you about it."  
Sometimes, Elena feared that Damon knew her too well.

"Very funny." She huffed, sticking her tongue out at him like a child. Her partner opened his mouth to retort, but the Captain interrupted by shutting his phone.

"All right, that was D.A Martin on the phone."

"Sounds wonderful, what did he have to say?" Damon laughed as if he had a better joke, but kept it to himself and waved his hand in the air foolishly.

"He said you can go to the Mikaelson's tomorrow morning." Alaric replied plainly, ignoring the dark haired detective, and Elena arched a brow. Since when did they need permission from the district attorney to visit someone's home for casual questioning? It was as if they were transported to a different dimension where the villains were their friends and they could invite them out for a cup of coffee.  
As if she couldn't hate the case more.

"So you two make sure you get home, and get some rest." Directed their captain with a stern tone (Elena always enjoyed Alaric's switch between serious Captain Alaric Saltzman and the warmer mentor 'Ric'), "Tomorrow, head straight to the Mikaelson's, do not pass Go or collect two hundred dollars. Bring every single ounce of professionalism with you and choose each word carefully."

Suddenly feeling nervous, Elena nodded towards Damon. They were both on the same page, as they have done this samba before with different cases. There was something different about this one though, something much more frightening. The way the captain spoke of them made her angry… and agitated. Her fear was what drove her anger, knowing what they were capable of made her sick to her stomach. This "family" was nothing but one of monsters, and she was going to face them.

* * *

Dragging her feet to her apartment, Elena lamented at the memory of her bed and when she put the key in her lock, she felt like something was missing. As she finally turned it, she realized what it was.  
Koga.  
Her dog would always bark or scratch at the door when he heard his owner come home, but this time he was silent and she feared the worst.

Quietly, Elena slid the door open and shuffled inside, her hand on her gun as she moved down the hallway. Each day, Elena Gilbert was a cop, and that meant even minor changed in her surroundings brought all of her training out as she was always hyper aware of her surroundings and she wouldn't deny that this case (the family mostly) had her more high strung than usual.  
Elena shuffled down the hallway to the kitchen with her gun in her hand, where she could hear Koga's enormous paws tapping against the tile impatiently while somebody went through her cabinets.  
Zipping around the corner, the detective aimed her gun at the intruder, whose face was hidden behind an open wooden cabinet, but she paused as the Great Dane approached her, his pointed ears (cropped by the breeder before she got him) curved outward while his tail wagged happily as he greeted her.

"I know Aunt Jenna got him so he could protect you, but he doesn't do a very good job."  
The cabinet closed to Elena's younger brother Jeremy whose dark brown eyes shifted to her glock and he grinned. "But I see you don't need it with that."

Not even realizing she still had her gun pointed at her own brother, Elena laughed weakly and put it right back in it's holster. "Sorry Jer," she quickly apologized wrapping her brother in a hug. Sometimes she forgot he had his own key to take care of the dog when she was running late from work, "It's been a rough day and I don't usually come home to find anyone in my apartment …going through my cabinets."  
Breaking the hug, Jeremy laughed and closed the cabinet and returned to face his sister.  
Of course, while the Gilberts considered themselves as siblings, and shared many physical traits, the two were actually cousins but raised together since Elena was adopted as a baby. Nobody would be able to tell by seeing them together since they both shared the same dark hair and eyes with matching olive toned skin.

"It's your job sis." He pointed out accusingly, "You have been on edge since this damn case started."  
He handed her a cup of tea, (her usual post work ritual) but she shook her head while pushing the blue NYPD mug back to him.

"I think I may need something stronger."

Jeremy nodded, understanding exactly what she meant and went to the freezer to pull out a cheap bottle of vodka, pouring her a shot.

"You always know it's a tough day when Detective Gilbert needs a shot of cheap vodka at the end of it all." He chaffed, making one for himself as well.

"Yeah…that is the understatement of the year. I feel like no matter how much evidence we have, we only gain more obstacles." The brunette sighed and leaned against the wall to down the burning alcohol.

"You really need to chill out though Elena, burning yourself out won't do anyone any good. You need to be at the top of your game if you want to catch this guy." He grabbed his jacket from the kitchen chair and went back towards his sister again, "Go get some sleep Elena, you look like hell."

Without even explaining why he was there in the first place, Jeremy headed to the door to leave, and Elena pushed him lightly to the side with a laugh while following him.

"Honestly Jer, I'm lucky I get to come home, if I get sleep it will be a gift from the heavens."  
A sad look passed over the young man's face, and a brief memory of his younger self hit Elena with grief. It was hard to believe that he was twenty one years old, it felt like just yesterday her and her Aunt Jenna had to tell him about their parents death in the car crash only hours before. Now Jeremy seemed sympathetic towards her ideals. He knew their parent's deaths were what pushed her to become a cop. She never wanted to feel like she did so many years ago.  
Bidding her brother goodnight, Elena got changed into a pair of sweatpants and extra-large t-shirt, and curled up on the couch with her bottle of vodka. There was no way she was getting to sleep at this rate. She had too many thoughts going on in her mind.

* * *

A loud barking to the banging at the door stirred Elena awake. Groggily, she lifted her head to see the news on her television and the vodka bottle which now sat half empty on the floor.  
_Crap.  
_Shooting up to her feet, Elena checked to see it was seven am, so that meant Damon was there to pick her up.

"Come on Elena!" He heard him yell, "Open the door!"

She trudged to the door, unlocking it to let in her irritated partner, who was holding two large cups of coffee.

"Oh you are a saint." She praised, taking the steaming cup from him.

"No problem, hope you aren't planning on going there like that." He pinched the shoulder of her large t-shirt and laughed, "Funny, I was expecting it to say I heart my dog."  
Elena rolled her eyes and moved to her side as her partner surveyed the apartment while an excited Koga ran circles around him, bringing his rope toy to play.

"Looks like you spent the night with the bottle." Damon observed, and Elena groaned inwardly, wanting to forget about the night before and turned back to him. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but stopped, instead turning back to her bedroom.

"Keep yourself occupied while I get dressed."

* * *

Elena may be a newer detective in comparison to others on the force, but she had never been so nervous on her way to question someone. It gave her memories of high school when being called down to the principal's office, everything she said was at risk of being ridiculed.

"So wait, why aren't we just picking him up and bringing him down?" Elena had to question. They were parked in front of a large apartment building (which Damon said was owned by the Mikaelson family) where a doorman stood, and Elena could have sworn he was armed.

"Martin personally advised we talk to him there, he says the second we bring any of the family in for questioning, and the sooner their brigade of lawyers stops our investigation." Even Damon seemed frustrated with this impending questioning, which set her off. Both detectives were going into this on edge.

For once, Elena hadn't noticed earlier, her partner was dressed professionally. His usual casual dress shirt and pants were replaced with a tailored suit. Even Elena worse a grey pant suit with a plum colored blouse (even heels as opposed to her usual flats). They looked like they were both going in for a job interview, and if this series of questioning didn't go well, they may need to prepare for one.

"Wonderful," Elena sighed as she opened the car door, checking to see that her badge and gun were visible as she stepped out onto the sidewalk, with Damon close behind, but both detectives were greeted instantly by the doorman.

"I'm sorry but are you two visiting someone?" the man put a hand in front of Damon, who looked to Elena with a smirk. He always loved a challenge.

"Uh…yes Nicklaus and Esther Mikaelson are expecting us…."  
The doorman gave a quarter bow and turned to open the door and Elena realized why they needed to call ahead. This building was most likely crawling with rich and famous by the looks of it's elegant beauty, so someone needed to keep any peepers or paparazzi out.

The apartment building looked more like a lavish hotel as the entrance, though empty, may as well have been paved in gold. Expensive looking statues lined the walls and a beautiful water fountain was placed in the center with a statue of a beautiful woman dancing above the water.

"That is the Greek Goddess, Hera, protector of women." An older, greying man in a suit approached the detective with an outstretched hand. "Mrs. Mikaelson requested it personally during the renovations as an emblem to her family."

"That's perfect, she can tell us all about it." Damon requited sarcastically as Elena rolled her eyes to her partner's lack of eye for art. The statue was a stunning depiction of a woman dancing on a wave as it shifted to flames at her hair. Elena wondered if the power struggle being represented had a familial meaning to it in Esther's own need to do good while her children did evil things.

"I apologize. My name is Ethan Garrison, head of security for the Mikaelson family. I was asked to escort you myself upstairs, please follow me."  
Damon and Elena exchanged concerned looks as they followed the security officer to the elevator.

The elevator doors (that only worked with a special key) opened to a large grand foyer, similar to the building's lobby except a pair of white double doors set towards the back.

"Mrs. Mikaelson would request that you respect her family's privacy. You have not been given permission to search the home and your presence is limited to the living room and living room only." The man's tone was very authoritative, and by that, Elena assumed military.  
A security escort, military trained and living in a place like this? Elena was becoming increasingly anxious at the thought of meeting this family.

"Do you understand?" the head security pushed, raising his voice and Damon nodded for her, motioning for him to open the door.  
This was what the captain meant by being careful. Mikaelson family was heavily guarded, guarded by the law, and the security team that, when Ethan opened the door, she could see were waiting on the other side.

"Please do sit down." A middle aged woman of a strange exotic beauty with a flawless pale complexion (that Caroline would die for) and paling strawberry blonde hair spoke up, her accent thick but completely clear. The woman moved her hand to the cream colored couch across from her as she poured herself a cup of tea from a pale pink set, careful not to spill it on her white dress. "Don't worry, we will speak in privacy."  
Damon touched Elena's arm, bringing her out of her daze of the room, beautifully decorated by artwork and small figurines from all around the world. She couldn't help but wonder if they were so proudly displaying their daughter Rebekah's (who was questioned multiple times for being an art thief) spoils. Her partner led her over to the sofa as the men in dark suits and matching blue ties all left to separate sides of the penthouse. The room they sat in (or quarantined in) was plain besides the art and figures, simply colored with pastel shades but seemed elegant.

"You have a beautiful home." Elena always knew to start with compliments and while her expression was warm and…motherly, the woman's eyes were ice cold and piercing.

"Thank you Detective…"  
"Gilbert."  
"Ah yes, and that makes you Detective Salvatore. Now I am sorry about the greeting, you see my husband owns this building and while many find it…tacky to live where you own, such as a hotel but I do love the city and this was one of our first purchases." She paused to take a sip of her tea, her eyes not leaving the brunette. "As my family has grown a fondness here as well."

"Yes, speaking of children…" Damon began, but Esther made it clear she preferred being in control of the conversation. Elena felt a strange sense of admiration to her confidence, as she always felt like she was struggling for control.

"I know you are here to speak with my son Nicklaus." There was no question in her tone, "Unfortunately he is out at the moment and running late but he is on his way home as we speak."

"How do we know he isn't on the run?" Elena couldn't help but ask, knowing by Damon's expression that he was thinking of the same thing.

"My son has nothing to run from detective, if he did we would surely have our lawyer present, unless that is necessary?" This woman was smart, and going by the glare Elena received from Damon, she knew she was skating close to the edge of "appropriate conversation".

"Yes ma'am, you are right. We just have a couple of questions that is all."

Esther nodded with a grace Elena knew she would never be able to match but attempted to as she gave a warm apologetic smile. She had to force this kindness from herself as seeing this family living in luxury while women like Agnes suffered made her sick.

She had to remind herself that Esther Mikaelson wasn't the serial killer, just her son.

Damon began to question the woman, keeping his tone light, asking if she recognized any of the victims (showing driver's license photos to avoid talking about the murders) while Elena let her eyes travel around the living room, soon falling on the open door leading to the kitchen. A man, likely around Damon's age, maybe a year or two older, stood by the marble island counter only partially in view from her angle, sipping on a cup of what (from self-deduction only) must have been tea and reading the morning paper. He worse a well-fitting suit which was why she first mistook him for one of the security, possibly on a break, but when she looked closer to the style (to his lack of knowledge of her study) and by simply watching the way he stood she could see that air of arrogance, that she could only guess was a Mikaelson family trait.  
With further examination she realized there was no way he could have been security, while extremely well dressed and proper (all things she saw only while he read the paper) his suit was much too expensive (it probably cost more than at minimum a week's worth of her salary). She hardly got the chance to examine his face, only seeing the brown hair falling lightly over his eyes and just a little over his ear when she turned her attention back to the mother.

"Mrs. Mikaelson, if you don't mind me asking, do your children all live here with you?"  
Esther changed her focus from Damon to the female detective and smiled, showing her teeth.

"My two oldest moved away a few years ago, both doing very well on their own and it is always a special occasion when we are all together which happens to be this week."

"And your husband?" Thankfully it was Damon who asked this time, receiving a sour look from the family matriarch.

"It is an even rarer occasion for him to be home sadly. I prefer to remain at home and wait for him." Her tone seemed more dismal than before, and Elena couldn't help but notice the hint of hatred in the underlying tone.

"So you prefer to remain so…objectified?" Elena didn't mean for the words to slip out, and covered her mouth the second they did. "I am so…so sorry." She quickly apologized already imagining the different ways she could hand in her badge as she got fired.

"Objectified? Interesting…" an eerily familiar voice came from behind her, making her jump, "Don't let Rebekah hear you say that, she may have a few words."

Elena turned to the side to view towards the kitchen again, where the man had approached, standing closer to Esther. She couldn't help but eye him curiously unsure of where to pin point where she knew him from now His voice sounded so familiar but the detective couldn't figure out where from.

"Hi, I'm sorry, Detective Salvatore…and you are?"

The stranger looked to Elena, ignoring her partner and smiled teasingly. "Hello." The corner of his lip pulled into a smirk as his eyes danced into hers as if playing a game.

Then it hit her.

_Hello._ No, that's not right, _Hello…there…_

"You!" she couldn't help but jump a little, even though she was a little angry. She had bumped into this man early the morning before. It was an awkward confrontation.

"You two…know each other?" Damon stared between the stranger and his partner as Elena shook her head "no", the man in the suit and dark brown hair, and dark eyes nodded yes.

"We may have…bumped into each other yesterday morning. Beautiful dog by the way-"

Elena diverted her gaze and she could feel her face becoming hot from embarrassment. She had tried her hardest to avoid looking at him the other morning, and now she couldn't stop staring. She was trying her hardest to find out _which_ Mikaelson she was looking at, because she knew she was looking at one of them.

"I'm sorry, allow me to introduce you to my oldest son, Elijah. He is home on business." Esther was becoming as she looked up to her son. "It has been a pleasure to have him back with us."

Elena had to choke back a gasp at the realization, and looked to Damon for reassurance, she felt foolish now staring at the man she hoped to never see again. This was Elijah Mikaelson, the blank face on the wall, now filled with the pompous smile, and brown eyes that seemed to read her every thought.  
This man could be the most dangerous of them all only for not getting caught at whatever it was he did.

"It is a pleasure, I heard detectives were coming by today." He reached lightly for Elena's hand, and she nearly balked, but found herself frozen unable to speak from fear and partly confusion "So you are…?"

"Detective Gilbert." She managed to choke out with a shy smile.

"Well Detectives…" he paused when the sound of the front door slamming shut jolted his attention from her but only from a brief moment. "Ah well that must be Nicklaus." He then smiled innocently to Elena and she noticed his accent. It was similar to his mother's, but while hers was more English, his seemed to be an Americanized version with something slightly thicker-older- as if he spent time in…she could only guess Greece. She couldn't figure out what it was, but then the realization that she was hanging onto his dialect made her blush even harder, so she focused solely on the door.

"Anyway, I have some…personal business to take care of. It was a pleasure Detectives. " The oldest Mikaelson son didn't take his eyes off of her still, even though she wasn't returning the look. She hated to be studied and while most people would have been weirded out by this behavior, she found herself just shy, knowing that maybe if she acknowledged he would stop. She couldn't help but wonder if he was intentionally torturing her.

Once he stepped away, Elena released the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and watched him as he moved closer to the door, leaving space for a more…familiar face.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this! I know that there is not a lot (enough) Elijah just yet, but as this story progresses his presence will be much more often trust me ;) **

**Be kind and leave a review? :) I am hoping to have another update soon!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you guys for all of your positive feedback!  
**

**Chapter Four**

"Sorry I'm late mother." A voice drawled from the doorway. "I managed to hit traffic on the way home."  
_Of course he hit traffic _Elena thought as her and Damon both exchanged glances, standing to greet Esther's son, _this is New York._

"Detectives," Esther rose to her feet as well, "This is my soon, Nicklaus." The woman introduced the young man, but Elena couldn't help but hold her eyes onto Elijah, who had slipped out the door with a knowing smirk, closing it gently behind him.  
"It's a pleasure," Nicklaus Mikaelson looked like his own version of the devil, dressed casually (in comparison to his brother) in a black dress shirt and dark colored jeans and a pair of black sunglasses set in his sandy blonde hair. His voice was polite, but Elena could hear it's rough, threatening undertone. It alone sent an icy chill down Elena's spine, forcing her to meet his gaze. In the photo on the dry erase board, she had taken this man for privileged, or spoiled maybe. Now she was staring into the bright eyes of death, powerful and intense as if trying to pry into her mind so he could read her thoughts. Elijah seemed to have no sense of personal space, (something about the older brother was overpowering and unexplainable) but this brother was making her feel entirely invaded.

He really was the face of a lion-a monster- and also (the most important) the perfect likenesses to the man in the police sketch.

Of course they would need more evidence before going after him officially, Alaric would have her head on a platter if she brought him in now.

"So detectives," Nicklaus grinned as he sat down next to his mother, lightly touching the woman's arm, "My mother tells me you have some questions for me in relation to a case?"

Where the oldest son kept his gaze on the female detective, this one was different. His eyes remained held onto Damon's and Elena couldn't help but find amusement in watching their silent battle. It was like watching two alpha wolves battling for the pack, the only thing keeping them apart was the table between them.

"Yes, Mr. Mikaelson…" Elena pulled out three driver's license photos out of her folder and laid them out on the coffee table.

"Please…call me Klaus." He bat his eyes wildly, sending yet another ice cold feeling down her spine. She found him disgusting, but only returned the smile sweetly. The more naïve he thought she was, the more truth she could get out of him…hopefully.

"Okay, Klaus." The name was heavy on her tongue like she had to speak it with an accent just to make it sound real. _Elijah, Klaus, Kol, Rebekah with the funny spelling, Finn such strange names for a family living in America._ She thought to herself reminding her by their accents that they were not from this country. "We were wondering if you knew them by any chance."

She watched him cautiously, and saw Damon sitting on the edge of his seat, he shared her feelings towards Klaus as he waiting for an excuse to jump. He was always the impatient one while his counterpart preferred to study her prey. It made for a balanced partnership.

Klaus didn't take long to examine the pictures and push the middle one towards Elena. "This one." He stated bluntly, "Lisa Rayes." He pursed his lips to the side as his eyes dropped, and Elena wondered if he was feigning this sadness (in which there was no way he felt any remorse) or a spark of…regret? She honestly wasn't sure what to expect.

"And how do you know her?" Damon raised the important question. Lisa was the daughter of the homeowners, whatever he said would determine their direction of this conversation.

"Oh we met at a club one time and she invited me over to her place about a few days ago for a party." He put his pointer finger to his lips in thought and nodded , pleased with his own response. "These two may have been there also, but I can't say for sure."

Inwardly, Elena groaned. Klaus just gave a reason for him to be in the home, and with it, this case was slowly beginning to separate at the seams.

"Well, is there anyone who can collaborate this?" Damon smiled while showing his teeth, matching the Mikaelson son's innocence,

Klaus was quick to reply, too rehearsed to be surprised, "I'm sure anyone who was at the party. But no Detective, I can't say I caught any names." He shrugged carelessly as his lips curled down into a frown, "Now my mother said you have questions about the case and you needed help? May I ask what happened?"

The man had no idea (so he claimed) why the two detectives were questioning him, but Elena wasn't about to fall for it, she knew better.

"Well then we are so sorry to inform you that she, and these two, were found dead early yesterday morning." She studied them closely, looking for any sign of surprise and both Klaus and Esther's eyes widened expectantly but both quickly regained their composure.

"If I may ask…what does this have to do with my son?" the fiery woman spoke defensively while placing a motherly hand over her son's. "Does Nicklaus need a lawyer?" Her tone was covered in the niceties of her English accent, but this woman was fierce and unafraid of these detectives. She was a lioness protecting her cub, but Elena couldn't imagine her defending him while knowing what he did.  
Family must mean a lot to them.

"No mother, that is not necessary," Klaus reassured, "I'm sure someone mentioned seeing me with Lisa." He was guiding their course now, trying to force information from them so he knew where they stood in their investigation. "This is heartbreaking news. I will have to send my regards to their families. Please tell me how I can help?"

Alaric had both Elena and Damon shaking in their boots as they went to speak with this family, and while they were clearly intimidating with their power, security and money, they acted horribly forthcoming under questions of needing a lawyer.

"We are just gathering alibis from everyone who was at that party." Damon quickly lied, "just to weed out the usual, and since we found your print at the scene we decided to start here."

Elena could see the pause in Klaus' mind as if he came to a sharp realization.  
He made a mistake.  
Had he really believed that two NYPD detectives were at his house for a social call? She was beginning to hate him more each moment. He really thought he could get away with it.

"I was unaware you knew about the party detectives," this time, the pompous child of a wealthy family was questionable and unsure. This was a good start to peeling off the layers.

"We really try to only ask questions we have the answers to." Damon returned smugly, taking out his small notepad. "I'm sure you can understand?"

Nicklaus nodded slowly, his features no longer seeming as concerned as before, which was more disheartening than anything.

"We are only looking for a time for Friday between two and four in the morning."  
Most suspects, from Elena's experience (as minimal as it was) had trouble finding a decent alibi, since most answers she would get were "I was home alone and sleeping," but she didn't find herself surprised when instead, her ideal suspect smiled with his already sickeningly prideful way.

"Don't have anything?" Damon assumed, mirroring his partners first guess.

"Actually, Detective Salvatore, I do." Swiftly, but with impeccable…inhuman grace, the man stood from the couch, motioning for his guests to follow him to the door away from his mother. Thy had rattled the beast's cage, and now they had to leave. "Speak with my brother Elijah. I remember Kol and Rebekah had their usual hijinks, leaving me and my dearest elder brother to drown ourselves at a bar." This time, Klaus looked straight to Elena as he spoke of his brother. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."

* * *

The detectives were escorted by the Mikaelson family's private security down to the lobby, and while Elena tried to remain polite (as they couldn't talk about the case until they were in the car) she was on the receiving end of cold stares and silence as they parted ways.  
Ready to rush to the door (preparing to declare Klaus Mikaelson's guilt) and shake the feeling of "snob" off of her, the two practically ran to the revolving doors only to be stopped short by a raspy female voice.

"Damon?"

Elena turned first, curious to see who her partner knew that belonged to this building and saw a woman, wearing a long grey and gold tunic style dress with bright red hair ran towards them.

"Sage," Damon smiled nervously as he turned to the woman, "How…nice to run into you."  
With a raised brow, Elena glanced between the two, it was rare she ever met someone from Damon's past, so this could prove interesting.

"Of course," the woman carried herself in a confident way, "I'm sorry. I'm Sage." She stretched out her hand to Elena with a warm smile, "Sage Barron-Mikaelson."

Looking to Damon with more concern than ever before, Elena couldn't stop herself from mouthing "Mikaelson?" to him in frustration. She had assumed that her partner had a connection to the family, but this was unexpected.

"Mikaelson only by marriage, don't worry." She told her, her smile devilish, yet prude. "I'm sorry, Damon is so rude, and you are?"

"Right," Damon seemed distracted by this meeting on his own, she could introduce herself just fine, "Elena Gilbert."

Sage nodded, not taking her eyes off of Damon, "So, what did Kol and Bekah do this time?" she changed the subject, but not asking Elena.

"Nothing," he replied, his tone sort, keeping all details to a minimum. "Just following up a lead on another case."  
Sage laughed and waved again, preparing to head towards the elevator "Good luck with that, even if it is pointless."

"What does that mean?" Elena badgered, she didn't trust any Mikaelson, even one married into the family.

"It means that you shouldn't trust a family with as much money as them." She shot in a harsh whisper, avoiding others from overhearing. "They are all born to lie. Even my husband is a defense attorney. While he is nothing like them, he still lies for a living." She stated as if she knew she married into the family by mistake, "Just…don't believe a word out of their mouths."

Elena couldn't help but scoff. She didn't need this woman telling her how to do her job, but Damon seemed to be taking her seriously.

"I'm not telling you, I'm telling Damon as a favor, nothing more. I married Finn, and while Esther may disagree, I did not marry them."  
Damon nodded, pushing Elena gently by the arm towards the door, "Thank you Sage. I…We, will keep that in mind."

* * *

It was a long silent drive back to the precinct and even though Elena had given her Captain an update over the phone on the way back, when they arrived he still looked painstakingly worried.

"Please just tell me you didn't screw anything up." He begged as the detectives approached him and Elena sighed in relief to see he was focusing his concern on Damon.

"Not that I can tell Cap...why? What's wrong?"

There should have been a lighter tone in the room, Elena and Damon had gone into the lion's den, and while they came out with minimal information, they still managed to emerge unscathed.

"The coroner may have found something pertinent to our case." The light had returned to Alaric's eyes, a welcoming and positive expression that had recently become clouded with stress from the case.

Elena of course, couldn't help but match the excitement her Captain was beginning to show. There has never been any trace left on the bodies before, and with this one instance alone they got a print, and whatever the coroner found on the body.

Following Alaric to the elevator, Elena and Damon hung back a few steps, unable to keep up. There was an awkward silence lingering between her and her partner, such as words unsaid which was a rarity for Damon, which he quickly fixed.

"We dated." He brushed the words, whispering carefully as they waited for the elevator and Elena nearly choked.

"Excuse me?"

"Sage. We dated for a couple of years when I was in the academy, but she was an up and coming big shot doctor so…it didn't work out."  
The elevator door couldn't have opened soon enough, answers to questions she never asked and hid in the far corner, but lucky for her, Damon managed to squeeze right next to her.

"She's married now, two kids."

"That's nice Damon. The only important part of this conversation is that she doesn't seem to trust her family all too much."

The door opened to the cold dark and silver lit floor, like a darker…more morbid version of an operating room. They were greeted by a short blonde man with spiked hair (that Elena couldn't help but wonder if he took his styling tips from Stefan) and a lab coat.

"Detectives!" he squeaked with a pile of paperwork overpowering him. "I have to make this quick so follow me."

The two detectives and captain exchanged knowing glances as the coroner fleeted down the thin hallway, only wide enough to fit a stretcher for a body and maybe a person standing next to them. There was no need to rush when the patients were already dead.

"So, what do you have for us?" Damon never really bothered to learn any names, it took Elena at least a week and a half to get him to stop calling her Detective in which he decided to move onto Gilbert…anything to piss her off it seemed until finally he cracked (a year later) to call her Elena

"I have blood work." He handed a sheet of paper to Alaric, a large grin crossing his face. "Blood work that came back positive for Ketamine in your three newest victims."

"Ketamine?" Elena asked, snatching the paperwork from her Captain.

"Yeah, horse-tranquilizer." Damon, though quick to answer, seemed deep in thought, "Heavy duty stuff…" This time, as if making it's rounds, he took the paper from Elena to give it a closer look. "Only one kind of place I know of you can get that"

"What are you getting at Damon?" Alaric turned sharply, his back to the coroner, who slid to his office, unnoticed.

"I think we need to send some uniforms to pick up Klaus…" he looked to Elena, giving a slight shrug. "And his alibi."

Elena had no idea where this was going, but her partner seemed too exuberant to explain as he turned his back, running to the elevator.

* * *

Within the hour, Damon had both Mikaelson brothers in for questioning, separating the two interview rooms, where they let them sit.

"So what do we do now?" Elena entered the viewing room where Damon, her Captain and D.A Martin were watching the men. She looked to the window where Elijah sat, still as a statue as if he were in a world in which he didn't belong, with a briefcase set in front of him. He was dressed in the same prim suit as earlier that morning, and even though the scratches on the glass (with one too many chairs thrown in their direction) she could see his shoes were polished to perfection, untouched by the elements. In fact, not a hair was out of place on him and he remained very calm for someone who was pulled out of a meeting for questioning.

Her focus then moved to the opposite side, into Nicklaus Mikaelson's interview room.

"Naturally, he brought his lawyer…look familiar to you?" Damon pointed out the window and Elena let out a light gasp. Sitting next to the middle child of the Mikaelson family was a familiar face with dark penetrating eyes, dark hair and olive toned skin with nearly Roman features. Tyler Lockwood, her best friend Caroline's boyfriend. Elena always knew he was a defense attorney, but now seeing the kind of scum he was defending, she wasn't sure how she felt about someone she knew (and considered a friend) being involved with people like them.

"Tyler…" she grieved, "All right Damon, do you mind taking them? Meanwhile…I'm going to break that alibi."

Damon nodded, but turned to his captain and the District Attorney, "Any chance you can dump their phone records? I want to know who they talked to, especially if they spoke to each other."  
Elena nodded compliantly and took one last look at Nicklaus and Tyler, both deep in conversation before following her partner through the door, going to face the frighteningly calm oldest brother, the one whose mysterious manner, while intrigued her, concerned her the most.

Prepared with a blue folder filled with her notes, crime scene photos and paperwork from the coroner, Elena opened the door, instantly being met by Elijah's confident gaze.

"Ah…Detective Gilbert, what a wonderful surprise." The man expressed a tone of friendliness as he stood to take her hand. Unintentionally, she accepted it, surprised by his graciousness. Most people brought into this room were angry, instantly demanding answers for why they were there, or a lawyer but he waited until after the casualties to ask the question. "So, do you care to tell me why I am here?" Elena could tell he was struggling to remain polite, "Because your officers actually tried to pull me out of a meeting. No warrant, and without a reason. It was quite disrespectful. "

There it was, already. Elijah was pulling out the arrogance, the pompous untouchable attitude that Elena was becoming all too familiar with (and too soon for her taste).

"Well, I'm sorry about that, but these questions unfortunately couldn't wait." She was playing nice as she obliged him. "Would you like a lawyer present?"

The oldest Mikaelson only shook his head, a coy smile passing his lips, "I've done nothing wrong, and by all means…ask away."

For some strange reason, there was a brief lapse of judgment (the third time since meeting this man) and Elena found herself at a loss for words, she nearly forgot why he was here in the first place.

"Right, well, first off, where were you between early Friday morning between two and four in the morning?"

Elijah raised an eyebrow and tilted his head while clasping his hands together, he looked like a curious animal ready to pounce on it's prey, a cat so gentle looking but the ability to cause unimaginable damage, it was all so clear in his eyes which he was tormenting Elena by staring into her own.

It was no wonder he never got caught at anything (if he did anything at all) he never just seemed so…untouchable.

"I was out with my brother," he said through his lashes, a sharp familial resemblance to his younger brother and wondered if this was how all of the siblings were. She looked over his expression, any sign of a lie, anything to show they had Klaus for the terrible murders but she saw nothing. Not even a spark of reservation.  
Anger burned through Elena like wildfire, but was snuffed quickly, knowing she would get nowhere if she pushed too far. She knew he was lying to protect his brother, now she just needed to prove it.  
He should know what a monster he is.  
Wouldn't he care?

"So…Elijah." Elena opened up her folder and took out her set of crime scene photos, "Do you…enjoy cleaning up after your little brother?" This was the only way she knew to get a rise out of him, so she flipped through each photo, setting each one towards him on the table between them as she watched him from the edge of the film before placing each one down. When he said nothing, she pushed him again, "Well?"

"Why are you showing me these? I am familiar with the case." For a moment, there was a hint of discomfort as he altered his position sideways but masked his features with a look of sheer boredom.

"This is your brother's work Mr. Mikaelson." She growled, "So I have two theories here, one is you are lying to cover for him, or two, this is my favorite option, you are covering him by cleaning up his crime scenes to make sure he doesn't get caught."

She was so proud, so sure that she would get him, at least one of them would have to break. The evidence was overwhelming but when a low chuckle escaped Elijah's lips, she wanted to scream as he looked carelessly over to the door.

"You have got to be kidding." He laughed again, "You have not charged my brother in anything, so passing the blame onto me is nothing more than a cheap, useless trick. Do treat me with a bit more respect and understand I am not deficient." There was something about this man, while he carried a certain air about him while having similarities to his younger brother (their arrogance and both seeming to find this all to be a joke) Elijah Mikaelson had an older presence, but that came hand in hand with his disbelief, and thinking he was above most others. Even his words were weighed down with heavy meaning, as if he never said anything unimportant and pointless (a strange, and while it could frustrate her, it was an interesting and uncommon quality in a man.).

He knew. He knew what his brother was, and what he had done.

"Tell me then, why do you defend him?" she wasn't sure if she should be angry for his lack of cooperation, or respecting they loyalty to his brother. She has seen suspects roll over on their mother for a free pass. This (as irritating as it was) was a nice change regardless of how irritating it was. His silence however, was even more passive than before not as threatening as the underlying tone in his words. "Don't you get it? You can go to prison for a crime that you didn't commit!"

A flicker-finally- crossed the man's previously hardened and taunting gaze, softening it.

"Do you have family Detective?" he asked quietly through his balled fist as he rested his mouth on the knuckle, and relaxed back into his chair giving the answer she needed. "My family is all I have. In my position, wouldn't you do anything to protect them? I believe deeply in family and honor above all."

Once again, Elena was at a loss for words. What Elijah had said took her by surprise. It seemed he was a man of honor, but the reaches he would go just to protect his family were more concerning than before.

"Fine." She snatched up the pictures and shoved them in her folder again. "Why don't we see what your brother has to say? I think my partner is starting his questioning right…now. But see, he was smart enough to bring a lawyer, so that means he has two people to hide behind…while you have no one."

Her words were meant to slit him sharp as a knife but of course they had no effect. With a valiant smile, Elijah nodded as he gracefully moved to his feet, motioning to the door with one arm, "After you, detective. I anticipate what you think I will be witnessing."

She had failed. With such high hopes of a confession or something to break Klaus' alibi (or even Elijah's, since one needed the other) she felt defeated, and now she was bringing a civilian (or worse, a potential suspect) into the viewing room to watch his brother lie through his teeth.

It was her last chance to show Elijah just what he was defending, but she feared he already knew.

* * *

**Next chapter we will get to see some more Elijah/Elena interaction and some Damon/Klaus one on one interrogation (where we will find out how ketamine is relevant to Klaus at all (if it even is, or whatever it is Damon has planned ;) ) **

**Again, thank you guys for taking the time to review etc, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review 3  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

It was unheard of for a detective to bring a potential suspect into the viewing room of the NYPD, but-as unprofessional as it was- she had seen it once on The Closer, it was a last ditch effort to get the witness to break…and it worked. Elena knew she was grasping at straws, but she had to do something.  
Elijah and his family were powerful, connected and had money to toss around like it was nothing, she wouldn't be able to get the truth from this brother by using evidence since Klaus' lawyer (she refused to admit that her friend was working for a serial killer) would get it tossed out before they even saw a jury.  
No. Elena would need to find some other way to convince him to admit that he was lying, and if that meant burrowing his face in gruesome crime scene photos and forcing him to watch his brother build on the lie than that is what she would do.

The detective had to bang on the door for Alaric to open it since it was locked from the other side and Elena couldn't help but wonder if it was only foreshadowing her lack of success with this plan, but she was feeling backed into a corner with no other option.  
Rick opened the heavy door as quietly as he could, searching around behind his detective and not hiding the irritation that Elijah Mikaelson was standing right behind her looking his (what seemed to be) normal, casually cocky self. She knew that Rick had heard her plan from the viewing room, but to say he was unimpressed with her decision was an understatement.

"Detective." He muttered as she and Elijah sauntered past, and once they were inside the room, mostly empty besides recording equipment and a desk with chairs in the far corner, Elena refused to take her eyes off of her suspect's brother and nearly laughed when the man gave a teasing cocked smile to her captain.  
Unintentionally, she had brought the fox into the hen house, and judging by the brief moment of anxiety flashing over the D.A's face, this fox was a familiar one.

"Ah, hello Jonas." Elijah confirmed her suspicions. He didn't bother extending his hand in greeting, almost as if the Mikaelson felt that Jonas was beneath him, but it didn't change his issue with personal space it seemed, standing hardly a foot from the district attorney, sizing him up.

"Elijah." The man grumbled, taking a step away. This brief, yet subtle moment of interaction between the two men brought Elena's mind to drift in concern. The rumors had been true it seemed. Elijah was flaunting his hand like a rich school boy in a backroom poker game and while the view was repellant, it was all the same more interesting.  
He had no fear.

"Where is Damon?" the brunette questioned her captain in an attempt to break up the silent cock fight in front of her.

"He had to run back to the coroner, seems Nicklaus needed time with his lawyer."

Translation; time to get his story straight, but yet she felt like Klaus was the type of person who had a story in his back pocket at all times, his brother being the option this time around.  
A light tap on the interrogation room door brought everyone's attention (even Elijah, who remained cautiously swayed to the side for that moment, only to step forward at the sound) to the large window before them. Damon, looking his usual cool and casual self, stepped in to join Klaus and Tyler, wearing a more formal dark green dress shirt which set apart from his usual style. With his blue folder (looking more filled then her own) in hand, he walked around the table slowly, intentionally taking his time and refusing to remove his piercing blue eyes from the suspect. He was a shark honing in on it's prey but with only one target in mind as he ignored Tyler sitting next to him while the detective sat across from the grey cold table.  
Elena would kill to be in that room, but she was stuck watching Elijah, trying to break the alibi he created.

"_Detective, I have instructed my client not to say a word." _Tyler always looked so boldly positive, but for a second, Elena pitied him. He had no control over this situation, he was in the Mikaelson's pocket now, and stuck in the room with a psychopath and the NYPD's most stubborn detective. This clash would likely turn into a war if Damon didn't play his cards right.

"_That's fine." _Damon replied carelessly without missing a beat as he thumbed through the papers in his folder.  
Elena knew what he was doing, Klaus was raised in privilege. Ignoring his importance (as if his time meant nothing) would irritate him and hopefully catch him off guard.  
In the room, Elena watched as Tyler opened his mouth to speak, but Damon put his finger in the air to silence him. _"I just need to know that he can read."_

From the corner of her eye, she saw Elijah step closer to the mirrored glass, resting his hand on the ledge as if trying to see what Damon had in his hand. She wondered, only for a moment, what thoughts were running through his mind as he seemed troubled, but she had to push it aside, there was no place in her thoughts to worry about how he was effected by all of this. He was hardly a friend and no ally to her cause, yet she still studied him, and in that moment, she became very aware of his mannerisms in her anger and frustration. Clearly she saw how the crease in his brow furrowed as Tyler spoke on behalf of his brother and the slight curve forward in his stance when he thought that no one was watching him (and she was the only one). Since they first met, she believed (wanted to believe) he was from another world, different from her own –another time- his usual poise was powerful and indicating, but seeing this minor flaw reminded her that he was only human. He was like everyone else in a sense, most likely driven by his emotions in the need to protect his family.  
She would find herself doing the same in similar circumstances, so he had been right in his own realization after all.  
Maybe during the interrogation between them , he had learned more about her than she had of him.

"I must say Detective, this is enlightening." Elijah chuckled to himself, "I had no idea that my brother could read. He did always prefer picture books growing up though, which must be the artist in him. Thank you so much for this."

Elena rolled her eyes towards him, stifling a laugh and fought the urge to kick his feet to make him stop when she heard Alaric clear his throat.

"You are here to observe Mr. Mikaelson. Let's keep the commentary down to zero…" he hissed from against the wall behind them.

"_So what does this have to do with me?"_ Klaus finally spoke, his tone sarcastic and accosting as Damon who, during her own distraction, had slid over the coroner's report to Tyler so they both could examine the page.

"_It says there…"_ her partner pointed to a small box on the corner of the page, _"that the victims were drugged with ketamine before death." _ Damon was shining bright now as he smiled courageously , Elena knew that inwardly he was laughing at his suspect while she waited on the other side of the glass, crossing her fingers, waiting for the final blow as she held her breath.

"_Damon, get to your point." _Tyler taunted, tossing the paper back to him as he checked the time. Caroline had told Elena that he got paid a hefty amount per hour, but it wasn't like it mattered to this family.

"_My point, Tyler, is that ketamine is an animal tranquilizer, and you know where you can find it?" _he paused, waiting to see if he would say anything, but Klaus only motioned for him to continue, _"You get it, from an animal hospital, and oh wait!" _Damon pulled out a different page from his folder this time, shoving it to Klaus, his expression broadening_, "Guess who used to __work__ at one!"_ Damon slid the second piece of paper over to Tyler with one more victorious grin.

For a second, Elena could feel the relief wash over her. This may not be solid evidence, but it should have been enough to knock at least one apple from the Mikaelson family tree, but when she looked at both brothers, separated by the glass, she saw neither looking disturbed.  
She could see Elijah masked his features well, whether it be a trick he learned over time, or just his natural stone-faced expression, and Klaus was hiding his own with the consistent look of pleasure. She wondered if there was any tell to catch a lie with them, a heart skipping a beat, sweat forming on their foreheads, or even a brief loss of breath, but she saw nothing. These men acted like they were trained by some secret agency to lie through their teeth.

"_I am sure my client is not the only one who used to, or currently works at an animal hospital. I'm sure that you can do better." _

For a moment, Elena could have sworn she saw Damon falter, lose his breath, and his heart race. He nearly crumbled under the brief loss of ground, and on the other side of her, she saw Elijah nod proudly as if impressed with his "investment" of a lawyer (Caroline would be getting a call about this the second she got home.) while Alaric stepped to her left, waiting to hear Damon's response.

"_You are right about that Tyler, however…your client is the only one who is a viable witness so looks like you have a problem." _Klaus, not disturbed by the allegations, only shrugged in agreement before tapping his lawyer on the shoulder obeying his lawyer's vow of silence. The two conferred for a moment quietly in a hushed whisper until Tyler finally nodded in compliance. Klaus smiled at their new understanding (whatever that was), and looked directly to the mirror, as if staring straight at his brother, knowing that he was there and then turned his attention back to Damon, who looked as though he was growing impatient.

"_Detective, have you ever heard of the drug Special K? Now, I am not admitting to anything since I have so many other ways to get a high…"  
_"Yeah, by being a serial killer." Elena couldn't help but mutter under her breathe, and Alaric elbowed her in the side, and she jumped as Elijah cleared his throat. Somehow she forgot he was standing right next to her, (which, with his overbearing presence seemed previously impossible) but continued to pay attention to what was happening in the other room.

"_I met the girl through my old boss. I didn't think to mention it earlier since I didn't know it was relevant, but maybe she gave her and her friends the drugs?" _A sudden silence fell in the viewing room, the two police officers and the DA both stopping their breath in loss,that feeling of desperation when Damon latched onto this piece of evidence had worn off on the rest of them, giving them the hope they needed.  
Now it was all tanked. Their case was falling apart. The titanic had better hops of survival than putting the 3X murderer behind bars.

"_Well Detective, since my client has an alibi, which I'm sure you can check with his brother and the bartender, you have no case so no reason to hold him here. Now, if you don't mind…."_

Tyler was right, Elena hadn't realized how useful of a lawyer her friend could be (or maybe it was just that he had a client who seemed to have an answer for everything) but she felt like regardless of who Klaus Mikaelson had as his lawyer, they were screwed.  
Elena could hear a scoff come from Jonas as he shook his head leaving the room when a cell phone rang. She watched both Klaus as we was leaving, and Elijah as he reached thoughtlessly into his pocket, also keeping an eye on his brother, and stepped back to answer the phone. Elena struggled to listen in as he spoke quietly, and her interest peaked at the unfamiliar sound.

A foreign language, and one she did not recognize. Instantly she found herself dangerously interested by this man as another layer to what used to be a blank page on the wall was uncovered.

"When he is done with his call, escort him from the building and stall so he doesn't get seen by his brother, we don't need a mess on our hands or a risk of a lawsuit from this family." Her captain directed her, giving a nod to the oldest Mikaelson, "I'm going to rush them out."

Elena agreed, still not taking her eyes off of the suited man's back, his briefcase on the floor by his feet and frowned. Elijah was the final piece to the puzzle, but as luck would have it, the piece got soggy and wet, not able to fit where it belonged just yet. She had to be patient and let it dry out, hoping that it wouldn't be completely ruined.

Alaric left silently, passing a raised eyebrow to Elijah, who was just hanging up his phone. "Sorry about that Detective," he apologized, placing his cell phone into the inside pocket of his jacket. "Now, I'm sure you will need to stall me somehow so that my brother can leave, so please…convince me to break Nicklaus' alibi."" He smirked deviously towards her, leaning against the wall while propping one foot up against it while crossing his arms over his chest.

Once again, he was challenging her, toying with his prey and Elena was far from amused. "This isn't a game." She sneered, fussing with her hair as she wrapped it t one side. Even from a distance, she felt like this man was pushing into her personal space, putting her on edge. "I just hope you know what you are getting yourself into. I just want you to realize that you will go down with him."

Elijah's eyes, dilated from intrigue, darkened with his gaze as they shifted to the ground as if picking up the little pieces of himself from his feet before pushing himself off of the wall. A new trait, Elena realized. He would remain as still as a statue, going unnoticed in a crowd until he wanted your attention. It was strange how much she could learn from someone who did not want to be found out just by being locked in a room with them.  
Elena gulped then, as he stepped closer to her, she wasn't afraid of him, but he was intimidated even when he didn't mean to be, and subconsciously her own feet moved backwards causing her to stumble and nearly fall until a force grabbed her by the arm to prevent her from hitting the ground. She stared up to see Elijah, a confused expression mixed with amusement as he held her by her wrist, bringing her back straight to her feet. For a moment, there was a a different kind of flicker in his eyes as if he was playfully fascinated and as he pulled her up it felt like his hand was touching her skin for hours on end. She was stuck in his game, and gave an unintentional shy smile as well but the second she caught herself, shook him off, embarrassed.

"Are you all right?" his voice was smooth as he feigned concern (so she told herself) and stepped back, "I didn't realize that you were so jumpy." She knew he was trying to frighten her, he had to be, he was testing his boundaries to create new "open door policy" into her personal space, yet for once, he seemed flustered at his failure.

"I'm fine." Elena snapped, glaring at the tip of his nose, examining the way it rounded at the point. She was going to play her game now, while she still had time to get under his skin. The detective would push and push until she got what she wanted out of him. She had no other choice but to make a weapon out of him whether he liked it or not, yet she felt a light layer of guilt for doing so. For some strange and unexplainable reason, she didn't want him to get caught in the middle, but she had people to keep safe. He would be her unwanted collateral damage if need be, and he was standing in her way, it was either become her asset or be n the ship that was going to go down…so far he seemed to enjoy sailing.

"All right." He turned his back to her as if to say that he had done his good deed for the say and now he was done, "I am sure it is safe for me to leave, right?"

Dispelling her aggravation (how dare he help her?), she nodded and went to the door.

"I hope that you will change your mind," she stated coldly as they started down the hall. Elena had to remind herself that he was a person of interest (for a moment, a suspect) and frowned, biting back. He wouldn't turn on his brother no matter how much she begged. This was something he would need to come to terms with on his own.

"Detective…" he began to plead, unsure of his own words.

"It's Elena" she interrupted, a final effort to build a rapport with her suspect's older sibling, but she feared it would blow up in her face.

"Fine." He smiled sadly, seeming clouded by his thoughts, "Elena. Unfortunately I have nothing to tell you when it comes to my brother. He is my family, so I will not turn my back on him." The pair was standing in front of the elevator, deadlocked as if nothing else surrounded them. The man before her seemed disturbed, shadowed by a guilt that he couldn't share. The bond of his family was powerful, almost like deep rooted within the money and power, all they had while being secluded from the world, was each other. It was something Elena could understand, however, so for a moment she found herself appreciating his honor, even if it was kicking her while she was down. It was a dull pain though and she had felt worse.

The ding from the elevator doors opening brought them both back to reality, and the people filing out, passing him awkward stares, showed Elena that others did not see Elijah Mikaelson as a friend either, he was a blockade.

"I can find my way to my car Detective." He turned away from her, going back to the slightly more formal title. "You know where you can find me if you have any questions. " he turned back sharply, reaching for his wallet and pulled out a business card. "You can reach me there."  
His expression was forlorn, as if he was lost in the past, maybe remembering the easier times of his childhood, or searching for memories of Nicklaus. Maybe he blamed himself for his brother's insanity.

Maybe that was why he defended him so strongly.

Elena nodded to him quietly, lost for words. It felt as if both of them were stuck in the center, fighting for a side. She watched him as he stepped back into the elevator, and as the door shut between them, she turned back to the squad room, defeated.

"Took you long enough." Damon joked when she walked in. "Thought big brother took you hostage or something."

"Well then thanks for coming to my rescue Damon." She narrowed his eyes at her partner like a snake, but softened to his despondent expression. She had to remember, she was not the only one without a win today.

"So, now what do we do?" she questioned, sitting on top of her desk, her chair making the perfect footrest and sighed.

"We have two undercover officers keeping an eye on their building, the guy has all the means to bolt but the only thing we can do right now is keep an eye.

It was after hours of viewing the interview tapes and going over the evidence with a fine toothed comb when Alaric came running into the squad room, his face red from anger.

"Captain…what's up?" Damon stood from his desk, knocking over the container of pork fried rice they had delivered not long before, as Elena looked up from a set of older crime scene photos (still searching for any way to connect the crimes to Klaus that wouldn't include his brother).

"They lost him!" he bellowed, pulling at his sandy blonde hair. "It's looking like you two are going to have to pay the Mikaelson family another visit."

"How did they lose him?" the brunette jumped, ready to toss her papers to the floor.

"He apparently went to the market so they went to follow him," her captain quickly explained while shaking his head as if he was still foggy on the details, "They lost him in the streets, as if he disappeared right out of thin air. It looked like he has gone underground."  
Anger filled Elena's mind, if only for a fraction of a second, it festered to a simmer.

Strike three, and they were out as if the day could have gotten any worse. "Okay," Elena grabbed her bag, with her gun and badge, already prepared to go. "So let's go pay them yet another visit." As if it weren't getting old enough, and she looked to Alaric for anything besides the defeated expression.

"Do we need Martin's permission this time?" Damon questioned, and the captain shook his head while Damon grabbed his keys. "Let's head out then." Her partner directed, rushing in the direction of the elevator that Elena just saw Elijah off in hours before.

* * *

The two detectives arrived at the large apartment building in excellent timing, only to be greeted the second they walked in by a young man and woman, accompanied by Ethan Garrison, the head of the Mikaelson family security.

"Detectives Gilbert and Salvatore, we've been expecting you." He drawled with a thick huff on an accent that sounded like it was from New Jersey.

"Coming back to harass my brother some more?" the young blonde woman smiled to Damon, and Elena instantly recognized the smug innocence as Rebekah Mikaelson, the youngest of the siblings, and here before her, she resembled Klaus in more ways than one. Elena couldn't help but notice her beauty. It was a simple, yet vibrant look, the way her blonde hair framed her rounded race to her shoulders fell over the deep violet off-the-shoulder dress that went to the knee with black high heel shoes.

"Well, we know he isn't here, so don't worry about that." Returned Damon sharply, "Now, do you mind if we speak to your mother?"

"Actually, I do." Ethan spoke up, placing a hand on Rebekah's, "Esther is not feeling well, and is stressed by her son's case you understand. She is resting and does not want to be disturbed."

"Which is your fault by the way" the dark haired man stepped closer, to challenge Damon.

"I'm sorry, and you are?" Damon shifted on his feet to stand taller.

"Kol Mikaelson." His voice was in a hiss, but Elena knew before he even said a word. Those demonic eyes were unforgettable, as if the only thing he would seek was a way to destroy anything in his path yet he looked so young. That young age may be why he came off as a loose cannon-the opposite of both of his brothers, as Elena believed that even Klaus had control to some degree, (besides Finn, whom she hasn't met.)

"Right, anyway…" Damon started again, but Elena, cut him off before he could continue, tired of waiting on the sidelines, and wanted to see how these two ticked.

"You mean that your mother is disgusted by what her son has done, and can't face it just as he can't." she curled her lip into a smile, knowing that she would regret this somehow, but there were some things that she just had to let out.

"Excuse me?" Rebekah growled, stepping close to Elena, but she was too late.  
In a speed incomparable to any other, everything happened before either party had been able to prevent it.

"Don't you dare accuse my brother you little-"

Kol stepped in on Elena threateningly, but Damon was faster, pushing the darker sibling back, away from his partner, but Kol reacted swiftly, throwing a right hook to Damon's face, knocking him to the ground.

"Damon!"

"Kol!"

Both women yelled as Ethan grabbed Kol by the arm, holding him back as he attempted to go back at the detective. Now they had a Mikaelson on a real charge, and Elena wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to use him as leverage. Her plan had worked after all.

"Kol Mikaelson," she smiled as if she scored the winning goal, "You are under arrest for attacking a police officer."

Mirandized and looking much better than he had in his original photo on the board, Elena and Damon (after he regained his composure, and telling an extremely infuriated Rebekah, and Ethan where to find him) led Kol Mikaelson out of the building.  
The trap had been set.

* * *

"Detective, what a pleasure to see you again."  
Elena's eyes moved from her paperwork down to the clean polished shoes and traveled up his suit.

"Elijah." She shook her head, "Came to bail your brother out of jail?"

The man chuckled and pulled up a chair to sit in front of her, while she struggled to ignore him, "Actually, Finn is taking care of that right now. I came here to apologize for my brother." Elena raised an eyebrow to him, putting her pen down onto the release paperwork (she had predicted correctly that the family would react quickly to getting Kol out) and shook her head.

"One, you should apologize to my partner, not me, and two you are apologizing for the wrong brother, but you knew that already."  
Elijah looked away towards the door with a laugh and turned his focus to her pencil holder, turning each pen towards him as if they belonged to him.

"I cannot apologize for Nicklaus, as the only thing he has done wrong was take a vacation." He chose the pen that stood out most, bright pink with a ball with feathers on top. It was a gift from a little girl she found locked in a pedophile's basement and was supposed to "help her start her writing career" something the two had bonded with the girl over questioning. She had also given Elena a notebook which she had filled a long time ago with her own personal thoughts.  
She wanted to slap Elijah's hand away for touching something so personal, but she couldn't find the urge.

"To Elena, Love…Lissy." He read the bright letters on the side, "Very sweet, a niece?"  
Grabbing the pen, the fluffy ball on top swaying back and forth, Elena shoved it in her draw and shook her head.

"Just from a case," she answered quietly. She didn't know why she was even talking to him, he made it clear that he wouldn't help, but it seemed so easy now that they knew where the other stood.

"You are very interesting, Elena. That tough exterior you wear is quite fake isn't it?" The detective rolled her eyes once again, grabbing her dull pen to finish the paperwork so he could leave. All it needed was her signature.

"Here you go." She tossed the papers to him with a fake smile, "That officer will escort you to where you will get your brother."

Looking over the papers, Elijah nodded slowly, trying to avoid showing the look of boredom he clearly had. "Thank you detective." He replied while standing up, and Elena followed his gesture.

"Keep him in check." She said sternly, watching again as he stood gracefully to leave and turned his back to her, "And Elijah?"

"Yes?" slightly, he returned his gaze into hers from the side, looking worn.

"Thank you…for your apology. I will make sure to pass it on to my partner."

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this :) Reviews are always sweet and appreciated 3**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Sorry it's been a while since I've updated (again) I was out of power for close to a week from the hurricane, so I am updating everything accordingly.  
**_

_**This chapter will be minus Elijah,but it is an important filler chapter to connect the last one and the next one :) (plus I find it important to see a bit more of Elena minus interrogations and such)  
**_

**_Enjoy!_  
**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Elena caught herself drifting away, staring at the picture on her desk of her and Jeremy from the day she graduated from the academy. She had been so driven, pushing herself to the brink of exhaustion every day, but in the end, Elena graduated at the top of her class. In the frame the sun was shining bright, bringing out just how much younger she looked (or maybe just felt) back then. Even under the stress of the hard training and effort she put into her work, she still managed to maintain a perfect complexion, shiny hair and just an all-around illuminated look about her. Hell, she even had a real genuine smile on her face, one that wasn't just for the sake of the picture. Things had been so simple then, living in a small town close to most of her friends, but rushing (more like skyrocketing) up the ranks to Detective would naturally cause some stress on the body and mind.

"Hey." Damon appeared behind her, "Stop your moping and grab your coat. We are going to Lenny's."

Elena smiled with a nod, still lost in her memories of the past as she opened her desk drawer to grab the keys to her apartment, when her eyes fell onto the bright pink pen that was tossed away in a fit of frustration by her last "guest".

"I'll meet you there." She replied casually, picking the pen gently off the book it was lying on and placing it back in her pen holder, cringing at the recollection of how carelessly Elijah dove into her personal life, as if he had no boundaries, even touching her things, organizing them like he was doing a science project…studying her as she studied him.

_Why am I even thinking about him at all?_ She lamented while hearing Damon leave. The detective was beginning to feel forced. She told herself over and over again how Elijah was no ally to her and each time she said it, her anger towards him grew more powerful than the last.  
Was she only trying to fool herself? She couldn't be so sure, not anymore at least. The fact that he was blatantly disregarding the truth that his brother was a serial killer disgusted her. It made her wonder if a man (coming from a well-known family as his) could actually be so naïve to think that he wasn't the one doing it.

He was the reason she was losing faith in Lady Justice herself, but that Cheshire grin flashed through her mind, making her consider if he knew even more than he let on, more than she knew if it was even possible and that had her concerned, curious if maybe he was doing more than just holding onto an alibi for his brother, or if he was actually cleaning up for him.  
Maybe he had more to lose than she thought, or there could have been more to his story…a plan forming in his own mind as hers was doing the same.  
Too much thought was going into this man but there were still so many possibilities to explore with the Mikaelsons, because if there is one thing Elena had learned over time it's that money leads to secrets (as the same goes to being a serial killer) which it looked like this family had mastered perfectly.

"Get out of here Gilbert." Alaric, dressed as if going into a snowstorm with his funny hat and thick black overcoat, bellowed from his office. "Stressing yourself out about it now will only hurt you."

He was wrong, but she didn't want to make it out to seem worse than it already was by telling him the truth. Stressing herself out over the case would risk ruining their chances at catching him (which seemed like a pipe dream now) which wouldn't only hurt her pride, but that of the families of all of the victims.  
She had to protect everyone.

"Yeah, yeah." Elena brushed him off as she began to clear her desk. "Are you going to Lenny's?"

Alaric laughed as he fixed his hat in the glass window by her desk, "No, this old man needs to go to bed."  
Chuckling to herself, the Detective stood, holstering her gun to her side and putting the NYPD badge in the inside pocket of her hooded overcoat before putting it on.

"You're not old Ric." She smirked without looking up from her desk, "Just…seasoned."

Moving towards him, Elena gave her captain a light push towards the door and waved him off as she gathered her own things before heading to the bar.

Lenny's Bar and Grill was an old style establishment, the inside walls, covered in old sports memorabilia, had gained a nice layer of dust over the years but it was a "homey" dust, not an unkempt dust. The look, however, wasn't exactly what kept the customers at bay. The huge sign on the large oak door stated in bold blue letters "Home of New York's Finest", which Elena found tacky, but after her frequent visits with Damon, she realized it worked like a cheap security system (such as when gas stations in Mystic Falls would have small signs of the door that said "thank you to our police for making frequent stops here") and kept out most of the problems. No one would enter to cause any trouble in a "cop bar" after all.

Tonight, the place was packed and it looked like each section of the department had their own little table, all laughing the day away, sharing drinks and stories of funny little incidents they came across, the regulars they had to bust, or the ridiculous calls they would have to follow up on. Most of the time, it was the perfect place to go when she needed to relax with people who were coming from the same day to day experience as she was, it made her feel human again instead of a robot driven by the directives of right and wrong. There she could laugh off Elijah making fun of her pen, or express her irritation that he was toying with her.  
So she thought.

"I'm just saying Blondie, you could have given us a warning that your boyfriend was helping our suspect!"

As Elena strutted towards her and Damon's usual table, her ears pricked to the sound of her partner's frustrated tone. Tyler, being a defense attorney, was hardly a welcomed sight in the bar, but Caroline had become a "frequent flyer", wedging herself into Elena's tight knit group of cop friends that only included Damon and Alaric and once in a while other detectives would join them if they had been working together on a case.  
Elena didn't mind, it was good today, especially since Stefan was there as well and him and Caroline had become fast friends over the past couple of years (they seemed inseparable at times since they were the two non-cops of the four).

"I had no idea until today!" the blonde exclaimed as she moved over in the booth so her friend could join them, "Besides…what difference would it make?"

A strange sound came from Damon's throat, his usual noise that he made while he was arguing with someone, it sounded like the ticking a cat would make while it hissed.

"So Elena…" Stefan cupped his hand to the side of his mouth and leaned further over the table as he whispered, "I hear you are like the Dark Avenger, saving people from one rich boy at a time."

With a girlish (un-Elena like) giggle, she pushed him back to his seat and shrugged , waving on to the waitress for her usual drink (vodka and tonic to start) and Damon followed for his preferred bourbon before continuing his yelling at Caroline.

"We can't have Klaus getting away with this!" the dark haired officer slammed his fist down onto the table, shaking the two empty glasses in front of Stefan and Caroline.

"Well Damon, I don't really know what to tell you." She snapped, and for a moment, Elena felt bad for her friend. It wasn't her fault that Tyler was assigned to this case, that she knew of at least. "It's not like he wanted this case! He practically begged to not be put on it!"

It was as if in that very moment, the entire bar grew silent to Caroline's shrill tone, the lone sound of the music being the only beat in the bar. As a child, Elena's grandmother used to tell her that when an entire room grew silent it was because of an angel flying overhead, but over the years Elena lost her belief in the winged humans, but now she had other things to worry about.

"Wait…what?"

"His boss made him take the case, he said he couldn't…" Elena could see Caroline was holding something back, she hadn't realized her friend had gotten so much better at withholding information.

"Couldn't? What do you mean by couldn't?" she pried, turning inwards to miss the waitress returning with their drinks, but hearing Damon take the moment to pass on a casual flirtatious gesture.

"Well…Tyler told me, which means I shouldn't be telling you- that the reason his boss wouldn't take the case…was because it is his brother."

_Finn._

"He works for Finn Mikaelson?" Stefan seemed to be just tuning in as he waved for two more drinks (the group was a growing favorite at Lenny's) reminding Elena to take a swig of her own, allowing the alcohol's burn to prevent her from saying anything.

"Yeah…but I didn't think that it was relevant." Caroline murmured, looking down at the ice in her glass and moving her plastic stirrer, "It makes sense…doesn't it?"

No. It didn't, in fact many relatives would defend one of their own if needed. There was a plan here, there had to be, but maybe Caroline wouldn't know about it.

"How did you think that wasn't relevant?" Damon's already ice blue eyes froze over in anger while he scowled to the girl across from him. "What if Tyler told him what they may need to know about us? This family is dangerous Caroline!"

"You think that I don't know that?" she rolled her eyes, passing Elena a desperate glance, but the brunette only turned her head to the side to look at Stefan, who wasn't sure what to think, and he faced his brother to complete the square. "The problem is that…" Caroline was choosing her words carefully now as her friends had her cornered. "Tyler knows that too. He is going to win this case regardless. Elena…" Caroline grabbed her friend's hand, "They scare him. He has no choice but to do every single thing that this…Klaus…tells him to."

Elena could see her friend's distaste in the situation, so she began to soften towards her friend.

"Caroline, have they threatened him?" Damon questioned, also understanding (but not accepting) Caroline's position, but her friend shook her head causing her blonde curls to bounce around the shoulders of her navy blue t-shirt.

"Not that I know of, it just makes me so mad!" He acts like their loyal puppy dog and he does everything that they want. He even has us going to this stupid charity event that Klaus' mother is holding."

Elena's eyes drew upward slowly; attempting to meet Damon's when a devious grin crossed his lips as he shifted to fully face Caroline.

"A charity event huh?" he tapped the top of his glass knowingly and Elena could practically see the light bulb flash above his head, a plan growing in his mind.

"Yeah." The bright woman scoffed, finishing her drink at the same time as Elena realized hers was long gone and she was ready for another. "Some sort of children's hospital out on Long Island. It's sweet, but it seems like a big cover-up you know?"

Stefan stood to get more drinks (most likely to keep the flirty waitress from reappearing) and headed to the bar.

"A cover-up huh?" Elena teased, but changed her tone instantly, had this been a month or two ago the thought of some major cover up or conspiracy would have made her laugh her friend from the bar, but now after knowing the family, the idea seemed plausible. After all, this family had the means necessary to get the younger siblings off of some serious charges with hardly a slap on the wrist, something had to make this family untouchable after all.

"Yeah well…Tyler told me he is not so sure how legal Mikael's business is so…" Caroline's jaw clamped shut, knowing she had already said too much.

Stefan returned with drinks for the table and forced Damon to scoot back down to the end of the booth while Elena grabbed hers greedily, taking a quick sip.

"So Care-a-lot," both Elena and her blonde friend, hating that nickname for her, simultaneously glared at him, hoping he would just get his point across. "How would you feel about doing a little…undercover work for us?"

"No!" Elena and Stefan both shouted in unison,

"Are you insane!?" Stefan degraded his brother swiftly, quick to put a stop to his plan while Elena took a long swig of her (mistakenly ordered) bourbon before crying out;

"You could get her killed!"

As casual as ever though (which was always expected from Damon) the detective-who was always an officer first- put his hand up to calm the group while moving his other hand to Caroline, who had remained eerily silent.

"Well, Caroline? Do you think you could get Elena and me into that little Mikaelson shindig?"

The blonde's two assertive defenders turned their focus to her. Stefan, not wanting his friend to get hurt, while Elena, who felt the same, also didn't like the idea of using a civilian to do her dirty work. Caroline wasn't some confidential informant doing it to escape a charge, nor was she a detective.  
This was wrong.

"What do you need me to do?" Caroline couldn't look her other friends in the eyes, but she seemed hesitant to agree.

"All I need you to do is get us two invites to the charity event." Damon returned inadvertently with a coy smile.

After a moment's thought, Caroline looked to Elena and passed her an apologetic expression, finally nodding.  
She was brave, stupid mostly, but also brave, Elena knew all too well that when Caroline Forbes had made up her mind, her decision was final.

"I'll try…it's an auction so you won't have to make any donation so that should make it easier to get in, you want to get into the party also?"

With a nod from Damon, the plan had been made, and unintentionally Elena just had her best friend roped in to a hornet's nest.

There had to be another way, another plan to keep her friend out of danger and uninvolved, she wasn't about to stop until she found one. There was no reason to bring attention from the family onto Caroline, she was innocent and with a family that allegedly had no fear in killing others, she didn't deserve this.

Elena stayed at the bar for another hour, her group's conversation moving off of the dreadful Mikaelson family to the lighter things in life. Caroline went on to describe how much Bonnie hated the hospital she worked in ("The other doctors are dreadful!") but how she wasn't sure if she was ready to transfer, then she went on to interrogate (Elena swore she took some deep training classes on the subject, since soon they were spilling their guts) the three about their "love lives", or as all three admitted openly, lack thereof.

By nine o'clock Elena-already having too many drinks in her system-decided to head home.

"Do you want me to call you a cab?" Damon offered, but the brunette shook her head. She was sober enough to walk herself home and pass out, the cool air would do her good and she had a feeling that the next day was going to be a long one, even though she was off. Something just itched at her skin.

When she stepped out of the bar, Elena pulled her black hood over her head, but allowed her hair, frayed from the long day, fall to the front of her shoulders. The cool New York fall air was crisp as it touched against her skin, already it was helping with the sobering process.

Nine at night for the city did not mean the streets would be cleared, in fact the sidewalks were bustling with tourists, fighting to get that one last attraction in before they closed down while the younger generation's (including her own, which made her feel old and withered knowing she didn't have the energy to be out partying) night was only beginning. She shoved through the crowded streets, carefully (from her own paranoia) making every effort to avoid making physical contact with anyone until she could finally breathe free, the partiers and tourists seemed to clear with only a few stragglers spread among the pavement.

She would just keep her head down and stay alert, it was her mantra for her walks home, and you never know who was going to harass a woman with a gun, even if her long black coat covered it.

Elena was waiting at a cross walk , tapping her foot impatiently as she watched the cars go by, every one of them with a destination, until she saw one that didn't…a black limousine with tinted windows slowed while pulling to the side, and the hairs on the back of Elena's neck began to prick. A limo would never stop here, they had no reason to in this neighborhood, so naturally she was on edge.  
From the corner of her eye, she watched as the driver stepped out, leaving the engine running (her assumption of it being the driver's need to stop tossed out the window) and opened the door so a woman, most likely in her mid-thirties (there was no way to know for sure in New York) could step out, she was stunning, yet she screamed of power and ferocity. Her physique, paired with the skin tight white dress and long pin straight platinum blonde hair that fell to her elbows, that Caroline surely would have murdered for, reminded Elena of a cheetah.  
The woman, noticing that she caught the detective's eye, smiled to her, waving a white gloved hand in her direction as she wedged her purse under her arm, and turned back to the inside of the limo as a man stepped out, staring directly to Elena.

Had time frozen?

Turning back to the light she was begging to change, the woman skated past her towards the parking garage she was standing in front of.  
The man's focus laid dead on her, but Elena couldn't imagine he was there to speak to any detective, there was no reason for any suit to be looking at her. Not in this neighborhood.

"Miss Gilbert!" the man summoned as he approached just in time for the light to change. "I apologize…Detective."

Elena shot around, her hand resting habitually on her gun and when she examined the man, she saw he was carrying as well.

"Yes?"

Was it so horrible to want to just go home?

"Elijah Mikaelson would like to speak with you, he is waiting for you inside…if you don't mind?"

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_**I kind of want to play a game with everyone, how many times can Nicole shove canon stuff down everyone's throat? **_  
_**Anyway. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, as I said...I know no Elijah/Elena interaction but this chapter was an important filler for a larger cause to build up the next couple of chapters :)**_

_**Please review 3**_


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is predominantly dialogue, something that I fear isn't really my...strong point, but this is solely an Elijah/Elena chapter so I hope you enjoy regardless!  
**

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**Chapter Seven**

Elena stood on the sidewalk, frozen in place as the small crowd of people pushed past her, trying to get across the street. She was confused, challenged even to figure out this man's purpose.

"Excuse me?"

Motioning towards the open limo door once again, the man straightened his back to gain some ground, "I said…Elijah Mikaelson would like to speak with you. Please, if you will."

This had to be either some foul move to get her into a corner (off her guard and still quite tipsy as she was) or a joke.

"Detective?" the man stepped closer, placing his hand by her lower back without actually touching her and moved to guide her inside. Such a relaxed state of haste showed Elena this was not some snatch and grab (one more concern on her list) and the woman exiting the vehicle before had strangely comforted her, but not enough for her to make it easy.

Peering inside, her guard was still up and holding strong, but the Detective stepped into the darkened limo to have the door shut behind her. She turned sharply to the sound , slipping her hood off to get a better view of her angles when the familiar accented voice came from the back seat of the limo.

"I'm glad you decided to join me."

Snapping upwards to both his voice, and the sound of the passenger door to the front shutting, Elena sat down warily in the seat furthest away from Elijah Mikaelson.

"What do you want?" she snapped, staring at him incredulously as she rubbed her arms to adjust to her warm surroundings. "Are you stalking me?"

Staring at him more clearly now, she recognized the suit he was wearing earlier that day, and she wondered if he had even gone home as it seemed like he was the man who owned more than a walk-in closet full of expensive suits that probably cost more than her annual salary.

"No Detective," he smiled ruefully as he opened a side chest to pull out a bottle of rum "I was planning on hunting you down tomorrow at the precinct this was just a…pleasant coincidence."

Elena scoffed as she waved to him as if pushing him farther away while shaking her head. "Well, you've got me. Now why don't you tell me what you want?" she paused, feeling the limo begin to move, "And what could you possibly want to speak with me about that couldn't be done in front of your girlfriend?"

The twinge of jealousy in her tone was entirely unintentional, but Elena couldn't help but hate women like that, beautiful and…perky with no fear of showing some skin. Looking at them (usually on the arms of men like Elijah, rich, older, and-she wouldn't deny- good looking) made her want to crawl into a ball.

The man before her, however (realizing her tone) chuckled as he poured himself a glass. "Girlfriend? No Elena, you are mistaken. I believe…you are more her type and besides…" he gave her a teasing glance, "Unlike you I do not fraternize with co-workers or my employees."

For a moment, the hair on the back of Elena's neck pricked as she glared down at him. "I don't know what you are talking about."

She didn't know how he could possibly know any of that (which was concerning) but she struggled to blow it off.

"I apologize," his voice seemed truthful, a different tone then that he used in the interrogation room. "It's not any of my business." His lips curved to a smirk-he knew exactly which buttons he had pushed, but he only wanted to see her reaction, for fun, torment and teasing.

"You are right about that." She sneered. "Now, what do you want from me?" Elena had no patience for his games, but Elijah acted as if he had all of the time in the world.

He did, after all, have her at his mercy this time, he was in complete control.

When Elijah didn't answer, the detective gave in to his charades, kicking the ball back into his side of the playing field. "That woman works for you?"

Without missing a beat, Elijah met her eyes over their distance of dimmed lighting and passing scenery, "Yes. She is my head of security."

In reaction, Elena couldn't help but cough back a laugh. "What?"

"Ella." He shrugged, "She is my head of security?" he cocked his head to the side curiously, "Being a woman in the New York Police Department, this shouldn't be too much of a surprise."

No, it wasn't, but a woman as his head of security that looked like a supermodel was a little strange. This wasn't La Femme Nikita after all.

"What about Ethan?" she recalled the man in the suit who had to break up the fight between Damon and Kol.

"Ethan works for my mother." He replied nonchalantly with a look of distaste, "He does well enough I guess, but Ella is who I take along with me. She is someone I trust implicitly."

"Why do you need your own security team anyway?" Elena couldn't help but ask, he was the blank face on her board after all, so he wasn't well known. In fact, he was practically nonexistent.

"Sometimes…Elena, business can be tedious. Angry clients…people making idle threats, I'm sure you understand that robbery is also a common thing."

Asking if she understood was a common formality, he didn't care if she understood or not but it was his way of politely ending the conversation.

"Fine." If Elena could keep him talking, the more information she could get out of him, since she knew close to nothing about him. "Where are we going?"

"Just driving."

Elena leaned forward to see they were driving through Times Square, the illuminating sign for Toys R Us burning brightly in the reflection of the window.

"So…what do you want from me?" she was sitting on the edge of her seat now, growing impatient. "I've seen the sights, so you didn't have to whisk me off of the streets."

Elijah sat back into his own seat and wet his lips before taking a sip of his drink. Apparently time meant nothing to him, and she only wanted to go home after having such a long day.

"You and your partner are searching for Nicklaus." He answered her plainly, stating the obvious. "I am asking for you to stop."

Eyes bulging out of her head, Elena would have shot to her feet had she not been in the limousine. "I'm sorry," she laughed, "What did you just say?"

Elijah clearly hated repeating himself and let out a low frustrated huff. "Stop coming after my family and if you play nicely I will bring my brother out."

Elena let out one powerful laugh, wondering if of all things, this was one huge joke. "You are kidding me right?" she leaned forward again, "Give me one good reason why I would do that."

Elijah Mikaelson was a proud man with layers as thick as steel, so thick that even with a woman before him laughing in his face, he didn't seem ruffled at all.

In fact, he seemed to have expected her reaction.

"Well, because legally you are skating on the cliff's edge to a harassment suit," he returned matter-of-factly, and Elena (though she didn't want to admit it) knew that he was right, "You haven't filed charges on my brother, you didn't even request he not leave town."

Defensively, Elena mimicked his actions and shifted back into her seat, folding her arms over her chest. She hated that he was right, but she wasn't about to give up yet. Not with all of those ruined families out there.

"Well, you seem to know where he is. It won't take much for me to make a phone call and we could always need your brother for questioning. Oh and if you don't want to cooperate? I will drag you in for obstruction of justice myself."

There was something about his challenge that empowered her and even though she was bluffing entirely (unsure if she could actually do that with a phone call) she wanted to do anything to throw him off of his game.

"Elena…" he let out a quick snicker, pouring himself another drink, and an extra one for her. "You and I both know you don't have enough evidence to officially press charges, and if you did…his lawyer would get it tossed out leaving you with no case at all for any future suspects if you ever came across any, since their lawyers would use that judge's ruling to carry forward."

Always, this man seemed to have a trick up his sleeve. This battle of wits was never ending it felt, but this time his tone was different, apologetic?

"So what do you plan to do to…bring your brother out then?"

She studied him as his own gaze searched her, for what maybe was a sign of trust? No. This was something else, and it hurt to admit it, but admiration is what it seemed.

"My brother is in a secure… facility of sorts, willingly so he can leave whenever he wants." A cold stare focused entirely on her could have brought her to her knees.

Elijah Mikaelson was different from his brother Nicklaus, Elena realized his eyes weren't as wild and his words, while equally as sarcastic and challenging, were more calculated and flat. He chose each word carefully and strategically in order to give Elena only the information she may need and nothing more, which would make this conversation harder for her to hold control over.

"So?" Elena accepted the drink that he had passed to her, holding his stare until their skin touched when she found herself forced to look away.

"I will turn him in…quietly and entirely under the radar with evidence you may need to convict on one condition."

She felt like she had become a mirror to his likeness, cocking her head to the side. Elena's breath balked her throat; the words were meaningless until she could hear more. This sudden change of sides had become suspicious at best, a man who defended his brother as powerfully as he did, would not just switch sides without some underlying goal.

Unless (and this was highly unlikely) she had actually gotten through to him.

"Do I want to know what this condition is?" warily, she questioned, and one more drink down the hatch wouldn't prepare her for what she was about to hear.

"My brother goes into a secure psychiatric facility under an assumed name, and my family stays out of the papers for this incident. No one can know that the Mikaelson family has been involved."

Well, she had that much right. This was the last thing Elena wanted to hear.

"No. No way." She argued without even a second's thought, the faces of all the families torn apart were playing through her mind. "Your brother deserves the needle."

There was no chance this could be an acceptable option. She still couldn't believe her ears. "I don't think you have much of a choice Detective." Off of the more personal and softer note, to more business talk now, Elijah was done playing host. "I got my way into your investigation to see what evidence you had and well…you have none, let's be realistic."

To deal with the news, Elena had to take another sip of her drink. She hated being played. His willingness to speak with them was only a way to control their investigation and to find out what they knew.

It was smart, probably too smart.

"And once I begin digging for your brother, I will have what I need and I will have the ability to take down your entire family." Elena curled her lip from her nose, a dark look ghosting over her face as she fought him back. "You know as well as I do that my partner would love another shot at Kol."

The slightest twitch of his finger was the cue, she got to him finally, and suddenly it all became clear. "So that's what this is about…You want the rest of your family kept out of this…"

Elijah's eyes brightened at Elena's realization, though seemingly slow on the uptake, and nodded. "My brother's actions will drive them all into the ground, I cannot allow that to happen…"

"And you don't want to send your own brother to his death either…"

For the first true time since meeting him, Elijah's expression softened at his own admittance as if hearing the words spoken out loud brought on a new level of pain.

"You know this will never work out in your favor. The D.A would never accept this as a deal." She wasn't entirely on board with helping this man (or his family) but she sympathized with the need to protect his family.

_But those families deserve justice…_

"The thing is, Jonas Martin happens to be a good friend of my family's. He will accept it I believe."

"How do I know you would keep your end of the deal?" she charged, "Or how do you know I will keep mine?"

_Why are you talking to me about this anyway?_ Is what was really burning in her min. Did he forget that they weren't friends?

"I am a man of my word Elena," he replied dryly. "And you want justice for the families that Nicklaus has destroyed, as well as protecting the citizens of this city by getting him off the streets."

It was as if he had read her mind, knowing her intentions and furthermore, driving her mad. Was she a mere pawn to his king? Or was he just a far better player than she was?

"Your brother can never walk the streets again Elijah." Though she felt she was losing, she was beginning to enjoy this game, finally finding someone who could keep up with her and understand her goals, in a weird twisted way he was helping her achieve them even if the means weren't perfection.

"You and I are on the same page Elena." His response was quick and back to a more personal note as he reached his point shooting his dialogue out like a ping pong ball.

"Why a psychiatric hospital? Why not prison?" Elena wanted him behind bars, not enjoying the luxuries of a rich person's psych facility.

"In prison there will be no anonymity, he would be killed on the spot and to be truthful…" he paused, gathering his words before he took another ship of his drink, cuing the detective to finish her own, "Somewhere in there…I believe keeping him heavily medicated will teach him some manners."

_Manners?_

"Are you telling me that your brother is insane?" She raised an eyebrow in disbelief, and Elijah smirked.

"Don't we all have ways to justify our sins, Elena?" Was all he said.  
She nodded to him, still slightly sickened by the idea of Klaus practically getting away with everything he has done to be tucked away in some…vacation home for the mentally impaired (because it was likely that his family would have nothing less). She didn't know what to do, deep down, Elena was sure that Elijah was right, the evidence they had against his brother was entirely circumstantial. They had nothing and now that he was aware of their eye on him, he wouldn't mess up again.

In a way, attacking this family had made Klaus Mikaelson more dangerous than before, she had no choice but to side with his brother against him. It was the only way to get what she wanted without putting a bullet in his head.

It was frightening how her world of black and white was becoming greyer by the second.

"I can't make any promises Elijah…" she began carefully, uncertain of her own words, not having the gift of language and interpretation as he did. "I can't even believe I am considering this at all but…I will talk to my captain…but I need a favor from you first."

His dark eyes moved to the window, checking his surroundings (and Elena saw they were closer to her apartment) as he nodded. "I see we are negotiating now?" he joked, seeming pleased though, this new challenge from her was fun to him , as if he hadn't already given her the perfect deal.

Getting straight to the point, Elena continued. "My friend is dating Klaus' lawyer."

"Ah yes, Tyler's girlfriend…Caroline isn't it?" knowing Caroline's name was explainable, maybe Tyler had mentioned her by chance, but pairing that alongside knowing of Elena's 'personal' activities and now being dangerously close to her apartment building Elena began to wonder how he knew what he did.

"She is afraid, and I want her protected from all of this." Firmly, Elena followed through with finishing her drink, "My partner is trying to get her to help us but…" she trailed off as Elijah offered her another, (was she drunk yet? This surprise visit had sobered her up pretty quickly but she just seemed to not want to stop.).

"I think I understand." He spoke up, his eyes still studying her curiously as if seeing her in a new light now, "I can help keep your friend away from Nicklaus' grasp, it is his lawyer…that may be an issue."

Now that it seemed their "relationship" had progressed to a strange alliance, even though they may have had different ideals.

"What does that mean?" the limo had stopped now, and when she peered out of the window, Elena saw they were right in front of her apartment building, "And how do you know where I live?"

Noting her suspicion, Elijah grinned. "I told you, it pays to have someone in the police department, but don't worry…I don't abuse the privilege…too much."

Somehow, Elena didn't believe that.

"And Tyler?"

His eyes drifted upwards and then down again to meet hers, "Tyler Lockwood, as you know, works for my brother Finn. No, you may assume that he is smart enough to use Tyler to get information on the two leading detectives, however I have to warn you Elena, in that sense and that sense alone…Nicklaus is a charlatan." He gauged her reaction, sending an eerie chill up Elena's spine and she was frozen. "Tyler is…his escape plan. Sort of a plan in case he does get imprisoned. If it becomes known that Tyler is friends with the two detectives pursuing my brother, inn can easily go in and get the case appealed."

An unexpected gasp escaped Elena's throat, and she had to choke back, fighting words that were forming. He had all of this planned out ahead of time, a charlatan…Klaus Mikaelson surely was not.

She really had no other choice but to side with Elijah, he was the only one who could help her take down his brother. He was going to be her weapon. "How o I know that I can trust you? You haven't exactly been too forthcoming." The real pressing matter, the elephant in the room and the dangerous challenge needed to be mentioned.

"You don't." he replied almost too fondly for her comfort, "Same as I don't know if I can trust you, like I said before Detective." For once, his tone wasn't sarcastic or challenging, it was as if he was reciting from a book. There was nothing Elena could do but accept it. She was, after all, taking a big chance here and she knew it.

"I should go…" uneasily, Elena shifted herself closer to the door, to jump back as it opened from the outside.

"Please, allow me to walk you." Whether it be a gentleman's offer, or something else, Elena parted her lips to turn him down, but she was interrupted, "Really. I insist."

There was no point in arguing (he already knew where she lived) Elena agreed, stepping out of the limo with Elijah close behind.

* * *

"You don't have to escort me…" for some reason, having the man so close next to her wasn't a bother, he was quiet as he walked with her to the elevator (receiving a strange look from John, since she never brought another man back to her place) until it binged open so they could step into the empty…creaking box.

"I assume Caroline is getting an extra invitation to my mother's charity event?"

Elena had been too busy being on edge to find a response to his attempt at small talk, the elevator was the worst part of her building, but Elijah-the dignified man whose suit alone screamed money- didn't seem bothered. "How did you know?"

Dumb question.

"Well, you said she was pulled in by your partner and I know she is going to the event, and Nicklaus may be there so…it's obvious."

Elena nodded, but disagreed, it wasn't obvious. Elijah clearly already knew, which meant that Caroline already got the invitation.

When the elevator door opened, Elijah motioned for her to step out politely, passing the older couple from next door (Mrs. Conner giving her a thumbs up, also knowing she never brought a man back to her place, little did they know he was not staying.) and followed her down the hallway.

The walk felt like it had taken hours, and by the time she stopped in front of her apartment door (all while silently praying Jeremy didn't come out of his) she let out a breath that she wasn't aware she had been holding.

"I'm not inviting you into my apartment." She whipped around to face him, her arms crossed and her expression flat.

"I had no intention." Elijah shielded his own ground, stepping closer in a numbingly tantalizing manner that caught her throat. "I only wanted to give you a moment to think over our discussion a bit further." Now he had her stuck between the door and his body, did he have any consideration for personal space? "So…Detective Elena Gilbert, "he practically spelled out her name with his tongue, "Do we have a deal?"

Her thoughts raced, analyzing each moment of their conversation. It seemed they were both risking something here, but Elena could have a lot more to lose if she didn't cooperate. This was really just easier on him to keep his family safe, the bonus was getting Klaus off the streets.

Did she really have any other option?

"As I told you, Elijah, I will talk to my superiors. I give you that much, and I am going to try and convince them to see my way." If she could just go along with the plan on her own, she would, but this was the real world and actions had consequences. She outstretched her hand to shake, "To part one of our deal?" she smiled with a raised eyebrow.

"And to a hopeful part two." Elijah grinned daringly, returning Elena's glow as he accepted her hand. "I will see you around Elena. It was…" he turned away from her to continue down the hall to leave. "it was an intriguing pleasure."

Even in passing, Elijah Mikaelson tormented her with sarcasm.

She knew he would gladly keep his brother hidden out from the law, but the pesky detectives would tear his family to bits and pieces by trying to draw him out in the process. These were simply necessary negotiations to make his job easier, like they were warring countries coming to terms.

When Elena entered her apartment, she shut the door behind her to lean against it, replaying today's events only to become more exhausted. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep though, her potential betrayal of justice was plaguing her mind, negotiating with the enemy's brother was hardly a way she should achieve it, but she found herself in a corner. It may be the only way.

They were only friendly negotiations…weren't they?

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**I hope you enjoyed all of this! As I said...I hate writing solely dialogue chapters, but I hope this one was decent :) **

**Reviews are always appreciated of course :)  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay...so I am apparently getting terrible with updating this story, so I apologize. I hope this will suffice :) **

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**Chapter Eight**

_Elena Gilbert does not negotiate with terrorists._

No. Detective Elena Gilbert holds the hands of victim's families, coaching them through their ordeals, using her own personal experiences as a handle.

She does not make deals to benefit those more fortunate.

"Koga, what the hell am I doing?" sitting against her front door, Elena pulled her knees to her chest and scratched her dog behind the ear. "This is a mistake isn't it?"

Sometimes, when she was at her lowest, Koga-just a dog, as she was just a woman- played her moral compass. Sure it was a sign of insanity, but if Damon or Caroline heard what she just offered to do, they would escort her to the hospital themselves anyway.

Koga, who was taller than Elena when she sat on the floor, placed a colossal paw on her knee and let out a low bark in response.

"Yeah, thanks." She laughed, using his back as leverage to stand. "I guess I need to stop doubting myself." What kind of friend would Koga be if he didn't agree with everything she said anyway?

With her dog prancing proudly behind her, Elena undressed on her way to the bathroom, tossing her clothes onto the end table to slip into the shower. She hoped that the steam and burning hot water would eradicate the day, hell, maybe this past month. Since it became clear that by default of a certain murderous middle child, the Mikaelson family had entered her life. _Elijah_, the conniving defender of his own form of honor in family wedged himself into her existence. She knew he was the one laying down the rules for their game, but soon enough she would have to figure out how to bend them to her advantage. She was already using him to keep her friend out of the fire, she was using him against his own family, but was that enough?

When she turned off the water, what she thought had been the sound of the spatter hitting the glass of the shower door, had turned out to be Koga, scratching vehemently at the front door, a low whimper coming from him as well.

Wrapping herself up in a towel, Elena stepped out carefully and pulled her dog back by the collar. Peeking through the peephole, nobody was on the other side, so she wrote it off as Jeremy stopping by, but realized she was in the shower. The Great Dane, however, was relentless on opening the door, struggling against her hand that held him back to stick his nose to the crack at the bottom.

"Okay, okay, you win." Elena gave in, opening the door slightly to look outside.

On the floor, as if someone had slid it under the door, but it got pushed back by Koga's paw, lay an envelope. Turning it over showed a neat-nearly calligraphy like-script, had Elena's name on it.

"I guess someone ran out of stamps." Elena said to herself (or Koga, as if that were much better) and picked up the envelope, closing her apartment door.

Quickly ripping open the off-white envelope, Elena slid out two cards decorated in elegant bolded script, her name centering the first one…and _Damon Salvatore _inscribed on the other. The words following, smaller than the names, were properly stated.  
"_We cordially invite you to join us for the annual charitable auction held by Esther Mikaelson,"_ on the bottom it was finished with _"On behalf of Elijah Mikaelson"_.

She read over the last part until her eyes began to blur, Elena was amazed at how fast he worked. It had barely been an hour and she held a finished invitation in her hands. He had come through for her, now she felt obligated to keep her end of the bargain, even if she didn't want to.

_And to think, tomorrow was supposed to be my day off. _

The good news was that Caroline would no longer have anything to do with the case, so Elijah helped her friend dodge a bullet.

Slipping on a pair of flannel pajama pants and a red t-shirt, Elena fed the dog before going into her bedroom and sliding under the covers. She grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand and sent a quick (mostly cryptic) text message to tell her friend not to worry about the Charity Event, it was already taken care of. Grudgingly she tossed it back to the floor, Elena set her alarm clock for a more acceptable hour in the morning and crashed, her mind finally dulling to the silence after the alcohol's buzz finally began to wear off.  
The tranquility of sleep was a rare thing, but for some reason, now about to sleep on her conversation with Elijah, she was able to find it.

Something that night changed everything.

The next morning, Elena entered the precinct with heavy shoulders. In her street clothes, she could have passed off as just about anyone, after all, no detective would walk into work wearing a pair of skinny jeans, high heel boots and a knit purple cowl neck sweater. She wouldn't be able to run in high heels.

"Gilbert!" Alaric never seemed to have a day off, since his wife's death years ago, this and a date with a bottle of bourbon every night had become routine.

"We need to talk," heels clacking on the tile, wavy brown hair falling down her back that stuck to the fabric of her top, Elena charged passed the rest of the detectives into her Captain's office with Alaric close behind.

"Okay…so what's up Elena?" he closed the door to his office behind him as his officer made herself at home in a chair. He watched her with caution as Elena's skin itched in anxiety.

"So…" she didn't know what to say and regretted it instantly. She shouldn't have come, but she made a promise. "Elijah Mikaelson and I…had a talk."

Talk was one way to put what they had done.

"You did what?" clearly he was trying to hide his anger, but failing miserably, "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" His eyes were glaring wildly in frustration, and he picked at the buttons of his blue dress shirt sleeves and tilted his head to the side when Elena shook her head vigorously and laughed. She had nearly forgotten how badly her night could have gone after being taken off of the streets by him.

"No, of course not!" Why was she saying it like it was obvious? Because it wasn't.

Inching slowly to his desk, Alaric didn't take his eyes off of Elena, the typical worrisome, fatherly-like glances that he always gave her during times like this (where there ever times like this before?)

"So then…what did you two talk about?" he questioned, looking to his chair, unsure if he wanted to sit or not. With a furrowed brow, Elena took a deep breath and in her exhale, out came everything. She told Alaric of Elijah's offer for negotiations, how he got her and Damon into the charity event and she told him just how far he would go to protect his family. It all came out in a rush without a filter, leaving Alaric stunned, with his mouth agape.

The moments of silence dragged on, screeching downward like nails on a chalkboard seemingly forever until Elena spoke up. "So…what do you think?" she watched him carefully, searching for his response before he gave it and only saw irritation, frustration and a look of discontent. She had just told him everything, and she really hoped that she wasn't going to regret agreeing to this.

"I think…" now he had to sit down, "I think you are insane."

She expected that much, she even considered herself to be crazy more than once the night before, but this time she was prepared. "But I think it's our only chance." She was tedious, just as she had been with Elijah, and held firm to her logic. "What if Elijah is right? Then we have no case, no chance at getting him off of the streets! Is that really what you want?"

Guilt always worked. Alaric, in theory was a big softy when it came to certain things, and if she wanted to really force the feelings down his throat, she could but for now this was enough.

"This is just strange, Elena." Alaric folded his arms over his chest, "Why the sudden change of heart? You were prepared to nail each of them to the cross just a couple of days ago."

Elena shrugged, she had her thoughts overnight. If more evidence came up to lock him away for good in a jail cell, then it would be all right. "I think" _I trust him and I don't know why_ "It's our only option."

It also helped that now she was on the inside of the family. If Elijah saw that she could be trusted she could learn a lot about them for the next time one of them made a mistake. It was logical, yes, but it was also a complete lie. She wouldn't do that, she couldn't get close to him just to use him.

"Will you just consider it for me?"

Again, Alaric nodded, seemingly lost into his own thoughts and his eyes continued to flash over her expression. "You might be right. I hate to admit it, but we are stuck. Without a confession, or worse a live victim, we have nothing." Elena could see the self-hatred shifting his features now. "I will talk to Martin tonight, I will see what kind of evidence he has, if there is no hope for our case, we will do it. Elijah is sure he did it?"

A weight was suddenly lifted off of her shoulders, Elijah was more than positive that his brother had done it, and for now it seemed the worst part of this was over.

"But then why will he help us?"

"He wants to protect his family. He doesn't want Klaus to take them all down in the process and he knows that we will take each and every single one of them if given the chance." The answer was simple, the reasoning and logic? Not so much. Elijah would be the moral compass between them, holding back each respective side. He had to protect those he cared for and Elena had to protect those in the city.

Alaric nodded slowly, "Go enjoy your day off, Elena. I will call Jonas later on."

* * *

It was one week, and Elena heard nothing. Nothing from Elijah, nothing from Jonas and nothing from Alaric besides empty stares that ultimately told her nothing. They were dragging their feet, and reality knocked on the door when the Captain got the call right as Elena and Damon prepared to start their day.

The look on Alaric's face had become too easy to read over time, he didn't have any good news.

"Damon, don't get comfortable." He directed to Elena's partner, "You are going to meet Detective Cortes at the address I sent to your phone. It looks like Nicklaus Mikaelson has struck again." It looked like death hit him too, ragged and tired looking; Alaric was tired of playing these games just as much as Elena was.

"What!?" Elena stopped dead in her tracks, "How is that even possible?"

The week before, Elena and her Captain agreed to keep Damon out of her negotiations with the Mikaelson family, she had figured that until a decision was made, that would be the best course of action for them until they heard back from Jonas.

"No idea. Looks like he crawled out from under his rock to grab our attention," Alaric looked back to Damon, "Salvatore, go now. Elena, I need to speak with you in my office."

Realizing that she wasn't invited to the crime scene, the detective grimaced as she walked past her partner and the Captain.

Was she being punished? Ric knew how close she was to this case, how important it was that she get some diluted form of justice for suffering mothers like Agnes and their children.

She had to be on this case.

Pacing back and forth in Alaric's office, Elena waiting impatiently for her captain to join, and when he finally did, she could read his expression as clear as day.

"So what's up Captain?" she stood before him, arms crossed and one foot a step forward, preparing herself for whatever she had coming her way.

"Well, I have good news, and bad news." Closing the door behind him, Alaric placed himself against the opposite wall, ensuring distance. "Which do you want first?"

Tempted to move closer, Elena tilted her head to the side, unsure and nearly frightened. "The bad news."

"Okay…" he said it as if to finish with 'your funeral'. "You have been officially removed from the Nicklaus Mikaelson case." Nostrils flaring, Elena closed the distance between them, anger, betrayal and pure hatred shot through her, words of resentment right on the tip of her tongue, but Alaric put his hand up to stop her from saying a word. "The F.B.I has come in to evaluate the case and you are being temporarily reassigned."

"Reassigned!?" Falling back onto the balls of her feet, Elena relaxed, "Is that the good news?"

A light tap on the door caught Elena off guard but Alaric seemed relieved. "Come in!" he beckoned quickly, and Elena kept as still as a statue, creaking her head to the side as the door opened. "The good news is that Jonas is willing to pursue our deal."

"That is great news!" Elena could have jumped for joy had she not been locked with the eyes of a woman she didn't recognize.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" the thing woman with short choppy brown hair had an English accent that sang against the walls, but she looked tough as nails.

"No, not at all." Alaric motioned to the chair situation perfectly between them, but she seemed put off by sitting in the middle and instead chose an open space to the side. "Sorry, Elena, this is Special Agent Rose Lewis, a behavioral consultant with the FBI. "

_Two first names_ Elena noted, _Never trust someone with two first names. _

"F.B.I?" Elena nodded to the agent, "Why is the F.B.I here if Martin is accepting the offer?"

Raising her eyebrow, Rose passed a glance to Alaric in confusion. "You didn't tell her?"

"No. I was just getting to that actually." He looked to Elena apologetically. "Elena…your newest assignment is with the F.B.I."

"What?" she stepped back, resting a hand against the nearest desk chair, "What assignment?"

Looking over to Rose, Alaric nodded, motioning for her to continue and the agent cleared her throat. "All right, Detective Gilbert…you have been drafted to go undercover." Her hazel eyes were widened with excitement as she watched the detective.

"Undercover? Where?" She didn't want to leave her home, her name, or her badge and gun. This wasn't what she signed up for.

"It's not exactly undercover…" Alaric interjected, seeing Elena's distraught expression.

"Right." Agent Lewis immediately corrected herself, "You will still be Detective Elena Gilbert with the NYPD."

"So…I won't be undercover then?" she didn't understand what was happening, confusion covered her ability to create viable sentences. Something wasn't right about this.

"We need you to get closer to Elijah Mikaelson, get to know him. Elena, the F.B.I wants to use you to take him-and his family- down."

Swallowing hard, Elena let out a heavy, regretful breath. This was what she feared, this was exactly what she didn't want. "I-I can't do that." Sure, had they asked her a week ago she would have considered it, but now that Elijah was helping them? It felt like the dirtiest of betrayals. "Elijah hasn't done anything wrong. He is the one helping us!"

Elena looked to Alaric for help, but he seemed to be in agreement with Rose.

"How do we know that we can trust him?" Rose sounded emotionless, like she was reading straight from a book even with her vibrant voice.

"We don't." Elena shook her head, trying to push herself to keep calm, "but we haven't exactly given him the chance to prove that we can trust him!" Elijah helped keep Caroline out of this mess, she owed a fight for him. "Besides…it's not like he is going to let me into whatever 'secret organization' you clearly think he's running. I'm a cop."

Rose laughed now, looking over to Elena's captain. "Elena, the F.B.I has been tracking you. We saw you talking with him, he clearly trusts you."

Shaking her head, Elena argued. "How do you figure?"

"He spoke to you, hasn't he?" shifting to face Elena forward to challenge her, crossed her arms, "You are the first person to get close to him, Detective. Why wouldn't we utilize that?"

"Elijah is not the Loch Ness Monster; clearly you weren't trying very hard." Elena scoffed, then straightened herself curious as to why she was defending him of all people.

"Elena," now Alaric was in on it too, "Have you considered why all of a sudden he shows up in New York just in time for his brother's murders? He is not innocent Elena and you are allowing him to cloud your judgment."

Something scratched at the back of her mind, a new anger- fury—but not directed towards anyone in particular, not Rose for forcing her to betray a potential ally, not Elijah, for putting her in this mess in the first place, and not even Alaric, who was looking at her like a disappointed father to the girl who was bringing the wrong boy to prom. "I'm not doing it." Her voice was set and stern. "I won't."

"You misunderstand." Rose returned sharply, "You don't have a choice."

"Excuse me?" Again, Elena looked pointlessly to Alaric for support. He was her Captain, her friend, and always had her back, but when he shook his head she felt…alone.  
She couldn't fight him too.

"This is what the F.B.I has agreed on with Jonas. There is no deal if you don't do this." This was why Alaric was so set on her doing this, he didn't care that Elijah was only doing this to protect his family, he had higher concerns.

"What do I do?" after searching their faces, seeing no sign of backing down, she finally spoke meekly and ran her fingers through her hair. _This is wrong_. Once again though, Elijah Mikaelson was not a friend, as long as she kept reminding herself of that, (why did she have to remind herself?) she could do her job. Her now, suddenly confusing mashing up morality of a job. It made her wonder if this was how Elijah felt, his love and devotion for his family driving his pure need to protect them, though knowing of his brothers acts put him in a rough spot (though that doesn't excuse his protecting of him).

Whatever it was that made her decide to protect him, Elena was unsure. She refused to believe that he was pure evil. It was a feeling about him that she had finally realized after all of this time, brought out by her orders to betray his trust.

"Just get close to him, that's all. It is very simple." Alaric pushed himself off the wall to approach the Special Agent. "Will she be safe?"

Rose nodded quickly, her eyes still connected with Elena's. "They know she is a police officer, they would be foolish to do anything t her Ric, you know that."

Rubbing her forehead, Elena shook, now avoiding Rose's gaze.

"Elena, we aren't asking you to sleep with him, just get close enough so that if he slips up, or anyone else in that family, you will be right there to catch the pieces that they usually clean up."

Even from the corner of her eye she could see the woman smirk at her own joke, as if to continue her first comment with 'even if it might be tempting'.

It was ironic in a way, mentally, Elena had dismissed the idea of doing the exact same thing that she was now being forced to do. Funny how things didn't want to work in her favor anymore.

"Elena, there is a packet of paperwork on your desk to fill out, then just take the day."

Nodding to her captain, still not quite adjusting to her new "job", Elena ignored Rose and slid past the two to attack the mound of unwanted 'undercover' paperwork.

* * *

Dusk had fallen by the time Elena made it back to her apartment, but it felt as if her day was just beginning. Damon hadn't even returned from the crime scene, Caroline was out in the Hamptons for the week and apparently Jeremy had gone out. She was alone again, but being cooped up in her apartment for the rest of the night was not on her agenda.

Grabbing Koga and the leash after getting dressed into a pair of yoga pants and sweatshirt, Elena headed out the door to do the one thing that she felt most at home doing. Going for a jog.

Even with the autumn chill circling through Central Park, Elena's body burned as she ran. Though it was dark out, the park was still busy with musicians and even a couple of street dancers (oddly off season). Though most of the time Elena avoided the busier paths, tonight she felt like being around people; watching the small crowds. She slowed to a walking pace at the sweet sound of a violinist, usually the only performer out at this time. She always stopped to listen to him play, his music was like the pied piper's tune leading the children in a dance behind. Tonight however, she stopped for a different reason, a voice that seemed to stick out over the others, yet unintentionally flowed well with the music.

"Elena," she whirled around, accidentally yanking on the leash which jerked Koga to her side, "What a pleasant surprise."

Her eyes scaled his body upwards, black jeans and a long thick black pea coat, and she forced a smile to Elijah Mikaelson- who was not in a suit.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I would say you are stalking me." Elena tried to sound lighthearted now, her new "assignment" lingering in the back of her head. This had to be some sick version of karma.

"No, Elena. I actually enjoy Central Park at night. It's relaxing." And he sure had convenient timing.

Guiding her off the path and away from the music, Elijah turned back to face her and speak, but Elena cut him off. "Actually, you have good timing." She looked at him, her hand placed firmly on the top of her head as if she had to find somewhere to put it. "My captain…" she didn't want to tell him, the rest of her day continuously playing back reminding her that by sealing this deal, she was inadvertently tying herself to the Mikaelson family, a parasite meant to take them down but she told herself again and again that it is better to be her, someone who would be fair (now, at least, that she has gotten to see the different side to him and his morals) to whatever they got themselves into. "We heard back from the D.A, he has decided to accept your offer."

Elijah's eyes brightened with an ingenious smirk, his smile glowing under the light. "That is good news." But something flickered in his eyes, something knowing and devious.  
But you don't seem pleased."

Of course she wasn't pleased. Klaus Mikaelson was still getting away with the crime.

"It's nothing," she lied, quickly recovering and realized that now she was following him down a different path. "I just had a long day of paperwork."

"Ah yes, I heard your partner was at the latest crime scene by himself." Turning sharply, Elena narrowed her eyes.

"How did you know-" but trailed off, of course he would know about the latest murders. Elijah most likely had a fly on the wall everywhere she turned.

The pounding of drums in a rhythmic beat brought Elena back to her way and she couldn't help but laugh at herself.

"Is something funny?"

Fixing her ponytail, Elena grinned as she shook her head, "No, not really. I guess I never took you for the street performer type." She pointed back towards the violinist, "I had assumed you to be more the opera type."

"You know what they say about those who assume, Elena." He returned dryly, reminding Elena she had a consistent habit of underestimating him. _Let's just hope he underestimates me too…_

"Art is best left to those undiscovered." He pleased her with an innocent smile, "Those untainted by the media, but personally I prefer the written word."

"Huh." An image of Elijah Mikaelson sitting in his mother's oversized armchair with a book in hand flashed through her mind. She wouldn't appease him with sharing that thought with him, knowing it may only stroke his ego but it was something they had in common. She loved nothing more than a good book and on her days off would find herself lost for hours in another world. The right author could make her feel for the antagonist, even when she lived in the world where she vowed to "take all of the bad guys down".

Silently, the pair walked away from the crowd to where the people began to break off. It was private, an almost unintentionally intimate setting, a spot that she felt she didn't belong with him, though it seemed crazy to even be considering anything with Elijah to be intimate. He was a cold man, was she really willing to believe there was more to him even knowing she was just meant to take him down?

"I forgot…" Elena cut the silence, dragging her own thoughts away from what she was told to do (and still would do what she could to get away without doing anything) "I wanted to thank you for taking care of the invitations."

His eyes shifted to her, though his nose kept forward as he gave a subtle nod. "It was no trouble." Like it was nothing, as usual.

"I know it wasn't any trouble, but I also know that not only did you not have to do it, but it connects you to me-to us." As in the NYPD, not Elena Gilbert alone.

"It's better this way. My mother will believe that I am only being hospitable." Elena wasn't sure if he was trying to avoid making eye contact with her out of shame for betraying his family (though really he was protecting them) or if it were something else.

"So…what do we do now?" she stopped, knowing the triple meaning to her question, allowing the cold breeze to beat on her back and grabbed his arm lightly to make him face her. "I want to speak with Klaus first Elijah. I need to hear the truth." _I need to know why._

"I figured that was why you were coming to my mother's event." He looked at her with a complex stare, and looked to her hand, which Elena hadn't realized was still on his elbow. "He will speak with you then, that was my intention."

Clearly, Elijah only would tell her what she needed to know at the moment that she needed to hear it, his "intent" was still a mystery.

"So, he knows that he is turning himself in?" Now that would explain why suddenly there was another murder, a scene Elena was now told to avoid. It could have been a final show for the insane serial killer she was determined to put behind bars.

"No." Elijah shook his head, and his brown locks strayed over in eyes to be blown off by the wind, "Not yet. I know what you are thinking. I checked my brother's status, the problem is that there is no proof that he was there in the first place to see if he left. That was how he set himself up."

"So he wasn't the one who did it?" She didn't try to hide her concern, this would be an easy way to get out of any deal.

"I honestly have no idea," he shrugged, clearly disliking not knowing things he obviously should and stared directly at her, making her knees shake, an unknown feeling for her as if he made her nervous but in an unfamiliar way. "This could be a ruse. I know for a fact that he was the one doing it before but…" cautiously, Elijah deviated his position to lightly graze her lower back so they could continue walking, seemingly ignoring Koga on her opposite side.

"A copycat?" Elena questioned as his hand fell back to his side.

Looking upwards, the night had officially fallen, but her body was still burning. She felt a strange level of comfort now (a curse in its own way, she was falling straight into Rose's demands, something she refused to do, but couldn't prevent it. Rose was making her question her own emotions now which was something that was not all right.) where as instead of being on edge, checking her back for the knife she had believed he would surely place.

"Anything is possible. It is a trend and since my brother's identity has been hidden, they could claim they are the real thing, but it is highly unlikely."

She hated how sure of himself he sounded, he knew more than he was letting on, but as long as she got what she wanted out of these negotiations, she was fine with it.

They continued to walk, Elijah not-so-subtly changing the subject to other things. They talked about books they both enjoyed, which had been more than she expected, Koga, where she got him from and somehow that-tied with him asking simple questions about her family- turned to Mystic Falls.

"So you are from a small town?" he seemed genuinely intrigued.

"Yeah, are you familiar with it?" Nobody really knew about her tiny Virginia town, she rarely talked about it, and it was amazing that it had a place on the map.

"I've passed through for work." He chuckled softly, "There really isn't much to it." Really, it was just impressive that he knew about it, let alone how little there was to the small town. The thought made Elena laugh out loud, his reaction. It wasn't all that surprising that she was a small town girl from a Southern town, but it was that chuckle that made him seem more…humane, not just the cold and calculating man she had first met, the one who stood by his murderous brother's side. She didn't want to think of it as work, he wasn't Klaus Mikaelson, who was on the run, he was a concerned and protective brother who only wanted to guard his family. It was something even she would do under the right circumstances.

How could she worry about taking him down when it was his siblings who were the ones stealing art and fighting with detectives? Worst of all, why was it now that Rose demanded her cooperation, she saw the new side of him.

"I miss it." She recalled her hometown wistfully. "I miss the ridiculous made up holidays, how we all could have been friends since everyone knew everyone's name…New York is like a completely different world."

"Not all of it." Elijah replied looking up to the lack of stars as they walked, coming closer to her usual path home. "You are just referring t this city, which is only a little island compared to the entirety of New York."

The city lights shone brightly down to the streets, there was no night sky, no constellations to see, just the purple lights at the top of the Empire State Building, and the whitened windows from the apartment buildings and stores.

'Is that why you come here Elena?" They were at the edge of the park now, "It's not exactly…near your apartment, do you miss Mystic Falls that much?"

Everyone she talked to assumed Elena left her town because she wanted the city life, for once…someone realized how much she missed it. "Yeah." She gave him a broadened smile, "It reminds me of home in a strange nostalgic way." She scratched Koga behind the ears, his large head leaning against her thigh.

Thoughts of New York only made her think of work-her only roots besides Jeremy- which in turn led her to remember Rose, the woman who was going to use her to tear down the Mikaelson family. It was all right if she did it, but Elena hated being used. "Can I ask you something?"

Elijah had been looking down the street, a man who probably lived his life in peace until now (due to the anonymity as a Mikaelson) seemed perturbed. "Of course." He replied, seeming to be only half listening.

"Why did you come back to the city?" Esther told her it was for business, but something about that was off, and Rose's questions of his actions made her uneasy.

Whatever he had been staring at was not nearly as important as her words, and Elijah instantly snapped back to her, his eyes showing a hint of pain and surprise.

"I had…family business to tend to, Elena. Why?"

"I was just curious," she looked away from him, unable to make eye contact, "Anyway…I should get going." It was getting late.

Still wearing a look of confusion, Elijah gave her a stout nod. "Of course. I will see you over the weekend Elena. I assume that your partner will be escorting you?" Did he enjoy playing games with her? 'Oh you took me by surprise by your question, so now it's my turn'?

"Uh…I…" she hadn't thought about it, and she wasn't sure why he was asking, as if it was an invitation but she was surely taken aback. "I guess so. He's picking me up." Now she was lying. Damon was meeting her at the party, they had no obligations of arriving together, and she wasn't sure why she felt the need to tell Elijah otherwise.

"Interesting." Elijah ignored her nervous tone and smirked, "As usual, it was a pleasure to have your company, Elena Gilbert." Taking her free hand, Elena considered shaking it away, but stopped as he lifted it only slightly, like a handshake before turning in the other direction, leaving Elena more confused than she had been before.

At the start of her investigation, she hated him-maybe even feared him- she wanted to tear him down piece by piece. Now, she was in a different place, hating the fact that she may have to betray him if she had no other choice, and wanted to find another way out of it.

* * *

**So here we see a step forward to Elijah & Elena's relationship which we will see progress within the next few chapters. Next up we skip ahead three days to the Charity Event which will be a 90% Elena/Elijah chapter**

**Please review :) You know I appreciate them!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm getting progressively worse with updates, so I apologize now. I hope you enjoy however :) **

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Black high heels stepped out of the NYC taxi cab, sinking into the grass near the side walk where Elena had the driver drop her off. This was a gathering for the rich and powerful, showing up in a cab at the front door would get her laughed out of town.

Pulling down the bottom of her black dress that ended right above the knee, Elena took a deep breath and held her clutch close to her side as she walked towards the building to see Damon, dressed in a tuxedo while looking impatiently as his watch.

"Ah, so the lady does own a dress." he greeted her, extending a friendly arm.

"Don't push it Damon." Elena returned quickly with a fake smile as they walked through the large glass double doors, following the trail of other party guests to the ballroom.

The lights were dimmed down onto the shining hardwood floor, colors speckling off of it like faeries in the wind from the lanterns hanging in each corner. Strewn across the walls were works of art, pieces for the auction that would be happening later on in the evening. Throughout, the entire room was buzzing, a small orchestra playing in the back corner, small cliques of old rich housewives (all looking much younger than they were) chattering about like birds.

It was a lot to take in at first; the entire room seemed to evaporate money like it was nothing, but at least she wasn't underdressed.

It was as though they walked into a fairytale world, stuck in the modern times, it was much more than she had expected for a charity event.

"Look." Tapping Elena's elbow, Damon nodded to the back of the room where standing set aside from the orchestra was Klaus Mikaelson with the man she immediately recognized as Finn-wearing a scowl on his face-while apart from the rest, leaning casually against the wall, stood Elijah.

"Klaus." Ignoring her "ally", Elena hissed through her teeth, his face reminding her why she was there in the first place.

"I wonder what got him to crawl out of his hole in the ground." Damon laughed, and Elena asked herself the same thing. Elijah had told her he would make an appearance, but to be so…bold about it was foolish, or he just preferred hiding in plain sight.

"I'm not sure." Of course, she already knew it was his confidence in his innocence, a plaguing trait of this family.  
Together as one, this family worked as a unit, a damaging force when pushed to a corner and having them all in the same room together was volatile.

Forcing her eyes off of the trio of brothers, Elena followed Damon towards the small table set off to the side that had appetizers when a familiar fiery look caught her attention.

"Hey Damon, isn't that…" she tugged slightly on his sleeve, pointing to the red headed woman who walked with a confident bounce in her step, glowing radiantly in her skin toned dress.

"Sage." He finished for her with a smile, "I think I am going to go and make friends."

Sage Barron- a Mikaelson by marriage to the second son, Finn, she hated this family, being a part of it she knew her life was in danger. She believed they were all born to lie, and as the woman's words played over in her mind again, Elena's thoughts became frantic,

Was Elijah playing with her?

Feeling alone without Damon in the sea of strangers, Elena found herself a place against the wall, avoiding the crowds, the chatter and staying out of the wait staff's way.

She was alone to her thoughts. Not even Damon was aware of her intentions tonight, thinking that they were here to "spy" on the family, (as if they had a natural habitat to observe them in) to build a case when really the case had already been closed. She had another purpose tonight-a meeting with Klaus Mikaelson-hopefully.

"My mother sure knows how to throw a party doesn't she?"

Spinning around and nearly losing her drink in the process, Elena found herself face to face with Kol Mikaelson, the devil looking brother with his inseparable companion of a sister, Rebekah.

"Yes, she definitely does." Elena agreed warily, but did not step away.

"Yes, it is very rare for our family to get together; she insisted that we all attend." Rebekah's shining blonde locks fell down to her bare shoulders in waves to the bodice of her golden dress, and with her brother wearing a pitch black tuxedo they truly represented the sides of heaven and hell. It was frightening to a newer biblical meaning.

"I'm sure each time is extra special." The detective sneered, toying her own braid in a tick. Her lower lip curved into a taut frown, imaging the havoc created whenever these two were in the same room.

"Is everything all right Elena?" Damon had come to her rescue, saving her from a conversation with two people she did not want to have.

"Ah, Detective Salvatore," Kol grinned, baring his canines like fangs, "How nice of you to join us. I was just apologizing to your partner here for our incident the last time we met."

"Yes Damon," Elena smiled to Kol with crooked eyes, "And I was just waiting to hear it."

There was something wild in Kol's eyes, like blood red veins traveled through his iris' making him seem more intimidating even when she saw Elijah as the silent killer (ironic considering their one brother was a serial killer and the other a defense attorney).

"I was just waiting for your partner to come to your rescue." He curled his upper lip in a humorous manner, but switched his demeanor instantly with enlarged angelic eyes. "Detective Gilbert, I apologize for my actions against your partner. I am told I can be quite impetuous."

Like Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Kol Mikaelson was different, sending Elena through yet another wave of confusion. Which sibling was the worst of them? And worst of all, how many more times would she go back and forth between the good and bad in this family? She began to wonder if protecting Elijah had been the wrong decision, and if it would only lead to his guardianship of the brother before her.

"Who invited you two anyway?" Rebekah, speaking for the first time since Damon appeared, snarled and gave Elena a distasteful glare.

"Oh, didn't you hear Bekah? Elijah is playing nice, hoping to show how we are such good people." Kol piped up, turning away from the pair and linking an arm to his sister protectively. "I think he is just hoping to avoid a spectacle and police presence will keep the trouble at bay."

Rebekah laughed, passing a willful smile at Damon and followed her brother as they walked away from the detectives. These two siblings were strange, like two sides of the same coin and working as one, complimenting each other with their differences and similarities. Deep down, Elena hoped she would never have to see them again.

"Weren't you off mingling with the rich folk?" the brunette joked waving towards the crowd and Damon nodded.

"I'm trying to keep my eyes on Klaus, can you watch my back?" It was pointless-so she thought-but she nodded in agreement. Her and Elijah may have come to a favorable agreement, but Klaus Mikaelson was at the very bottom of her list of people she trusted. "Meanwhile…" his eyes shifted around, "You keep tabs on the rest of the clan and make sure that one…"he edged his thumb to the direction of a small round table where Elijah sat now, talking with his mother. "I still don't trust him."

Unfortunately, that seemed to be the general consensus when it came to the oldest Mikaelson, but Elena had no choice but to put her trust with him.

* * *

Watching Damon disappear into the crowd of people admiring the art on the walls, Elena hung back to the archway to better survey the room in her own preferred solace.

Or not.

"Every year my mother likes to throw a ball here as well…"

She should have been used to this by now, but still, Elena nearly jumped from her skin and looked up to see Elijah this time, standing before her, concern shadowing his expression. She hadn't seen him get up from his table, and her guess was that had been his intention.

"Elijah." She said with pursed lips, shifting her side braid over her shoulder again.

"It looks like your partner is quite the social butterfly." He mused, noting Elena's betrayal of Damon's confidence, as if the thought hadn't been running through her head all day already. He stood by her, shoulder to shoulder but Elena wouldn't look at him, instead she kept her eyes shadowing the room, pin pointing each Mikaelson sibling. Rebekah and Kol had found themselves a place at the mini bar, the sister now looking stone cold while her brother smiled vibrantly as he flirted with the woman behind the counter.

"That's debatable." She replied glumly, and still smiled as Elijah grabbed two glasses of champagne from the caterer's tray and passed one to her.

"Well, already he seemed to be enjoying the company of my cousin."

"Cousin?" _Oh god, there's more._

"Yes, Khloe. She is quite close with my brother during the rare times she is in town." He lifted his glass in gratitude, though she still wouldn't look at him. Seeing his face would show her that he was real, a human being with positive intentions rather than the monster she was forcing herself to imagine.

To the far corner of the room sat Finn, sitting at a smaller dinner table across from Sage. He held her hands cupped in his, his eyes coated in love and devotion seen from across the room. It was painfully beautiful, possibly the only two pure souls in this family, as even Elijah was torn in two. "I want to talk to Klaus." She mumbled, now looking at the floor.

Plainly, Elijah replied, "Not yet, later, I promise." Lightly he allowed his fingers to graze her elbow, leading her (not unwillingly) to face him more directly. "My mother also enjoys hearing herself talk. She is planning a toast within moments."

His eyes moved to the stairwell, large, white and elegant in color and he smirked. "After the toast we will speak in a more…private location." His eyes were given a cloudy opacity from the ballroom lighting above, it made him seem blind though he was far from it. Elena had instantly pegged Elijah as a man who has seen much more than his societal position would allow. It formed his family to become co-dependent on him while he became protective of them and their tendencies, but still wanting to hold some form of dignity, restraint, and honor.

_How many ways can one man be torn? _Elena wondered as she stared-maybe that had turned into an entranced gaze- into his eyes.

"Okay." Finally, she found a few words and he seemed to chuckle to his own amusement at her loss.

* * *

The ringing of a glass being tapped by a spoon brought both to look up to the top of the stairs where Esther Mikaelson stood, dressed in a long white silk dress, her hair done up in a round of tucked curls. "Now, if you will excuse me." The tips of his fingers lingered on her forearm as he shifted past to move to the front of the group that had gathered (Damon standing surprisingly close to Caroline and Tyler amidst the dresses and tuxedos.). Elena had promised to keep her focus on the Mikaelson siblings and saw they all had formed an unintentional circle around their brother Klaus, making it easier to keep her focus on Elijah, her target, her _mark_.

Focus held on him, she unintentionally ignoring the matriarch's words as she spoke, thanking her guests for their generous donations and the like. Instead, Elena watched the woman's oldest son, feeling safe knowing that he wasn't watching her.

With each rise of his mother's voice of praise, the man's steadily clenched jaw would twitch in disagreement, disappointment and most of all, knowing much more. It was something that Elena had been searching for on the stone faced man since they met, a _tell_. He seemed to be a man who's each movement was well thought out, making him slow yet graceful and Elena had to force herself to remember that he was as dangerous as a burning building-and just like the fire, Elena could not look away. The layers were there, veiled by doubt and deception although there was so much left to uncover before Elena decided what to do about her newest assignment. She had to know if he was the demon Alaric and Rose made him out to be, tied to his family by shackles.

She didn't understand it, (nor did she want to) why her mind was drawn to him. What was so tantalizing about a man who should have made her sick? It could easily have been their underlying similar ideals of protecting those they loved. Whatever it was, it drove Elena's thoughts to the wall in curiosity before she noticed that Esther's speech was done, her guests all clapping in unison as they toasted.

Elijah was nowhere to be seen as she had stopped gawking at him in her own self-reflection.

* * *

Searching around to avoid drawing attention, Elena slid towards the stairs, the hall formed underneath it's gallant structure was dimmer than the rest making it easy to duck in to.

"I can't have the rest of my family knowing about our negotiations yet." Elijah leaned casually against the wall, his tuxedo seemingly untouched and straight, a block of ice. "Thank you for meeting me."

"Did I have much choice?"

"No, I guess not."

Taking a deep breath, Elena moved to stand in front of him, leaning her back against the colum on his other side "Did you talk to your brother?"

"I did."

"And?"

Pushing himself off of the wall, Elijah stepped towards the detective, though keeping a foot apart. "And…" he paused, taking some time to consider his words, "I may have deceived him slightly, telling him there is more evidence against him than he realizes, and this is the only way."

There was something strange in his eyes, a heavy regret to his betrayal to his brother, Elena pitied him, knowing and understanding how he felt. "So, now what?" she hadn't spoken much of what would happen after speaking with Elijah about Klaus, but he seemed to have everything laid out for them.

"Now," he took half a step closer, and Elena caught the breath lodged in her throat, "We wait. You will speak to my brother by the end of the evening, and tomorrow I will bring him in."

"And he knows the terms?" she couldn't imagine Klaus agreeing to be permanently institutionalized, but anything would be better than death row.

"He does." Elijah's eyes locked onto hers, "Which is the only reason he has agreed."

This may not have been the penance Elena needed to sleep at night, but it wasn't her that needed sleep. Women like Agnes were the ones who deserved it more than she. For that, Elena intended to suffer for their closure.

"Elijah, I-" the air in her lungs came out ragged, unsure of the coming words, and was cut short by a shrill of gasps and screams, causing the detective to step forward, bumping into Elijah's chest, the sounds of a gun being fired erupted, echoing against the walls, drumming onto Elena's heart.

With a gasp, from the gunfire and her collision with the man before her, Elena moved to shove past him, ready to find out what had happened, hearing screams of a man being shot but before being able to make a bolt for it the detective found her back slammed against the wall and Elijah's hand covering her mouth to quiet her.

Squirming against him, his body, now dangerously pressed against hers, tightened protectively as another shot was fired. The echo in the hall rumbling through as the bullet lodged itself into the arch, right where Elena would have been had she run out.

"Are you armed?" he murmured quietly, his free hand resting on her hip to stop her from fighting him, where her holster should have been.

Elena nodded strongly, lifting her dress just slight enough to where her sidearm was kept-something she was glad to have brought- since it was never apart from her and took out the gun.

"Sir," the man from outside of the limo the week before rounded the opposite corner, "We need to get you out of here."

Elijah gave a shallow nod, and released the detective, apology in his eyes now. "Elijah…" the man warned, "Now. Her partner is down."

The words were sudden, a quick stab to the bottom of her heart as it plummeted to her stomach

"The police are on their way."

But Elena was already gone, her gun drawn to her side, both hands closing it close as she peered around the corner.

The ballroom had cleared, the guests all having fled outside, or under the archway such as a smaller group where Elena could see Damon clearly against the wall in a heap.

"Damon!" she cried out, her voice raspy in distress as she ran to him, nearly forgetting to clear the area.

"I'm okay." He groaned, lifting his head to look at her, "It's just a flesh would, through and through." His hand told a different story however, as blood seeped through his fingers. "The shooter is up there."

He nodded towards the upstairs corner and Elena stood sharply seeing a blonde head over the balcony wall. Hearing the sirens sound, though knowing it would still be time before they got inside, Elena moved, hugging the wall as she climbed the stairs to hear muffled voices near the top.

"Drop your gun." The female voice was strong, also resilient and Elena could see her clearly when she peered around the corner at the top of the stairs. The tall, leggy woman with supermodel legs Elena recognized instantly as Ella, the woman Elijah had told her was his head of security.

Now, in a black pantsuit and her hair in a tight bun, Ella looked overwhelmingly lethal and her gun aimed at yet another familiar face.

Agnes-the sick older woman whom Elena kept in her thoughts daily-her husband stood with a shot gun in his shaky hand, stepping back to aim it at his potential killer.

"Frank!" Elena struggled to remember the man's name, still not sure if she was correct, "Drop the gun."

Tears of anguish streamed down the man's face as he shook his head, "You…you were supposed to help us!" he choked out, "You have had him this entire time and you've done nothing! I had to do something if you won't!" _Can't_ she wanted to correct him, they _cannot_ do anything.

_He knows about Klaus_ she quickly realized, stepping closer and holding her gun upwards to show she wouldn't shoot.

"This is not the way." She tried to soothe him, but Ella was inching forward with vigorous content and not saying a word. "Ella, you have to back off."

Elena didn't know who to aim at, the distraught husband pulled by his grief? Or the seemingly trained assassin?

"My wife is dead because of these people!" he cried out, his hand shivering sporadically and Elena gasped. Having been so caught up in making deals and gross negotiations with serial killers, the detective had abandoned all of what was important.

"Frank, your wife had cancer…" Elena's eyes wanted to tear, but with Ella so close, most likely ready to shoot and kill, she couldn't find the heart.

"No, Detective, her heart stopped from being broken."

In a moment of sadness, the elderly man faltered, his aim giving the guard (with Elena not far behind) to tackle him down to the ground just in time for his gun to go off out of the control of it's holder.

"Ella don't!" she cried out, the bullet hitting the wall, and kicked the gun away as it crashed next to the crumpled man.

It was in a flash, Elena working with Elijah's head of security, holding down the man to his stomach as he screamed tears of anguish, mourning the death of his late wife-a friend of Elena's in a sense- all over again. The police had stormed the ballroom just in time with paramedics running in to take Damon away, Elena was done.

Agnes was dead. Her shining light to give right and reason for what she was doing, her motive to _fight _had passed on. Watching the police take the widower away in handcuffs, Elena's heart was heavy. Ella had disappeared, most likely to check in on Elijah, and it was just her surrounded by police.

* * *

"Detective Gilbert." Some time had passed, and during times like these, Alaric's authoritative tone was a relief to her troubled mind, a guidance of logic she would need when it passed forgotten. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine Captain." She lied. Agnes, the woman who died of a broken heart, weighed pounds into her mind and own heart. "Can I go to the hospital?"

She wanted to see Damon, though the paramedics said he would be fine.

"Damon went home already; he is sleeping off a painkiller high right now." This was supposed to be comforting, though it wasn't. Damon's quick visit to the hospital was good news however. "He said he will call you in the morning, which is what I will be doing also. Will you be all right sticking around and doing some damage control?"

As if Elena had not had a long enough day, but Damon was supposed to be her way home (two cab fares being too expensive) so she nodded in stagnant agreement. "Sure thing." She replied looking at the disaster area around her. Gathering evidence, the crime scene unit had torn apart the ballroom, finally finding the two bullets, one upstairs and the other in the hallway entrance wall.

The bullet from a distressed man (they labeled as crazed, but Elena preferred severe mourning) that could have hit her, had Elijah not stopped her from running out so blindly.

Without the intention (so she was assuming) of doing so, Elijah Mikaelson had saved her. She could thank him for that, but preferred not to further stroke his ego.

Needing a breath of fresh air, Elena walked towards the fire escape, left open for the CSU, and stopped as she walked past the bar to see Elijah sitting in its stool-alone.

Tempted to continue walking, Elena fought with herself, but the social drinker (and every night she came home drinker) called out stronger than her reserve, so she found herself joining him.

"I thought that y our security team whisked you away to some secure location?" she teased, feeling strangely comfortable with him and pulled up a chair next to his.

Her voice startled the man, who had a small glass of dark liquor set in front of him, and he glanced up from it in confusion. "They tried." his voice was duller than before, a sense of sadness carrying through it's tone. "I wanted to make sure you and Ella were all right."

Elena and Ella were too easy to confuse, he even seemed tongue tied to say one over the other. "I heard the gunshots."

"Didn't you talk to Ella?" His head of security should have gone right to her charged side.

"No. She spoke to the other guard. She prefers to…avoid police matters." Most likely because she is some foreign assassin, Elena concluded. "How is your partner?"

He seemed genuinely concerned, finally taking a sip of his drink. "I heard he protected Nickaus."

Elena hadn't gotten the entire story, but "protect" was probably a word Damon would spit on, since he had only pushed Klaus out of the way most likely not even realizing who he had saved.

"He is home, my captain asked me to stick around for a while longer." She was staring at his drink, wondering why Alaric wanted her to stay, since it would have made sense to send her home to rest, but then realized he may have seen Elijah here still, forcing them to interact. Her own reflection grimaced back at her with the realization. She was being played, and this time by someone much closer to her. "I guess I should thank Ella as well," she pulled her eyes upward to look at him.

Making an agreement sound, Elijah nodded. "I hate to inform you that Gavin took Nicklaus away for his temporary safety. I am sure you understand." They would not be meeting tonight.

Listlessly, Elena nodded as she bit her lips. She had assumed as much, "But don't worry. I will still bring him in tomorrow like we agreed."

"I do." She could feel her throat tighten.

"Do what, Elena?"

"Worry."

Leaning back slightly to view Elena better, Elijah nodded curtly. "I would have thought you would trust me more than that Elena, have I not done as I have said otherwise?"

"You have." She was ignoring him, other thoughts of Frank, a desperate need for revenge in his eyes as he had accused her of betrayal played in her mind. Her ideals had been shattered.

"Elena…you do not seem happy." The man pointed, sipping his drink. "Besides our missed meeting, your partner will be fine, he is home and safe, you will have my brother on his hands and knees before you tomorrow, he will be off of the streets. That is good news, don't you agree?"

"Of course." Her lips were dry and cracked from chewing them and she motioned to the bartender for a drink.

"Then I misunderstand the problem."

Elena had to look away, her face turning hot from anger, each surging emotion becoming too much to control. "The problem?" she snapped trying to keep her voice even but failing. "The problem is that that man came in here with a gun and shot my partner nearly shooting me too because he was devastated from his wife's death. Her heart stopped, and I can only assume from the stress caused by your brother killing her daughter."

The bartender, trying to avoid a pending argument, gently placed the glass in front of the detective and walked away. Elena grabbed it quickly, facing Elijah again with her eyes glaring into his. When he said nothing, she shot again, "Are you a robot? Do you not feel the pain your brother has caused innocent people?"

Elijah's lips parted in protest and true offense to her words as though he was taking them similar to a dagger to the heart. "Elena…"he began slowly, "Of course I feel. I am only human. Each life my brother has taken I regret as if by my own hand, but you need to understand that I have done everything in my power to not allow my families misgivings effect my personal feelings if at all possible."

Mouth forming a think line, Elena could feel her teeth grind into his words. She, since the day they met, had made him into a scapegoat. Never once did she think of what he had gone through, but still she refused to call him innocent, whether it be out of her own stubborn nature or a feeling she wasn't sure.

"What can I say?" she began, biting back her built in resentment, "I clearly care too much, call it a weakness."

Shaking his head, Elijah's gaze faded again. "I would be inclined to disagree Elena, your compassion is your strength, and with that…a powerful part of you. Had you denied my offer knowing the cards I had, you would have been a fool, not caring for those families who suffer. "

"Elijah, don't patronize me. You and I both know you will defend your brother to the grave and you are only doing this for your benefit and your families."

There was a powerful, bleeding passion in her tone, and she could see it in his face as she looked up to him, the hair falling over her face from the loosened braid as her neck bent slightly. He said nothing, no words of disagreement, nothing to disprove otherwise, and Elena found that more painful.

"I'm sorry." Unintentionally, the words slipped out with more emotion than needed, as a tear slid down her cheek. All of her anger once again misdirected, covering up the paw prints of sadness from Agnes' death like snow coming down.

"Don't be." Elena could feel the moment of tension and self-revelation between the two of them. Emotions were high, the knowledge of Agnes' untimely passing, his brother's near attempted murder only to be saved by her partner. "None of this is your fault; this should only fall on my brother."

Tears turned to dust the instant her skin felt his brush against her knuckle, causing her to look up to his darkened solemn eyes.

"I-" she strained, his hand instantly retracting to his glass, but she was lost in him for a moment, but feeling the loss of his touch, the comfort from a hand. He was no friend, she had to tell herself again, but no enemy would comfort her.

"You lost a friend, I am sorry for your loss."

Shaken alive by his words, his intent seemed pure, though his actions were relentless and crude to protect his family, Elena straightened herself again.

"Don't be." She found herself smirking, paralleling his words, "You are losing a brother." She could hear Elijah sigh, regretfully. "I guess it should be some consolation to see you hate yourself for deceiving Klaus." She decided, "What kind of a man would love himself for throwing his brother under the bus?"

"Elijah chuckled, raising his glass to toast, "To the misgivings of others, like a rock becoming a boulder." In comparison to her personal feelings, it seemed, heading at warp speed down the hill, building rapidly for no reason and beyond anyone else's control.

There was no logic to this.

It seemed each day she changed her opinion of Elijah, now it was flat lined, stuck in the middle of hatred and a much clearer and preferred understanding. This was not a position she wanted to be in. She had to leave.

"I should go…" she looked at the clock; it was getting late, and so she slipped off the bar stool, inwardly groaning as Elijah followed her movement.

"Please, allow my driver to take you home." He walked next to her as she headed out the side exit, where a line of cars were already parked.

"No, that's not necessary." She smiled, not faking her gratitude for his oddly placed generosity as she slid past him, holding open the door.

"I insist, it is the least I can do. He is otherwise useless since I will not be leaving just yet."

For a reason unbeknownst to Elena, knowing Elijah would not be with her put the burning under her skin at ease. For something it wasn't, their touch had left a mark on her hand under the flesh. It was wrong to be close to him, it felt so at least, but the moment the cool breeze trailed over her, everything remained forgotten.

"Fine." She finally agreed, Elijah waving his driver over while they stood in the entrance.

"Goodnight then Elena." He bid her goodbye with a gentle and curious smile, "As usual, your company was a pleasure even with all of the dramatics involved." Tainted as it was, covered in blood, gun fire and _guilt_.

"As pleasurable as the plague." She joked, mocking him as he opened the car door for her so she could climb in with ease, and instantly she felt bad for being crass with him. He didn't fire the gun after all.

"Elijah…" she grabbed his arm, feeling empathetic to his own loses, stopping him from closing the door.

"Elena?"

"Under different circumstances, we would have made good friends." Both having such similar ideals, though hidden among lies and deceit, they could have been.

It was an apology of sorts, but only she knew the reason why she was truly sorry.

"I am confident we still can grow with what is handed to us." His eyes brightened in honesty as he closed the door and as she watched him walk away through the tinted window, Elena found herself left with a feeling of age and confusion.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed and as always please review :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, SO after over a month's break (though the chapter has been done for a while now) this is chapter ten to Of Monsters and Men. I want to first apologize profusely for taking so much time off from this, I got entirely pulled into the roleplay world and my brain just became somewhat blocked here. Secondly-you have two options here (because this was going to take a lot longer) you can either thank Siberia21-who deserves full dedication for this chapter ha ha- for pushing me (though she won't admit it, I caught the subtly lol) to get this done, OR you can hate her because while I am not *hating* it, this is not my favorite chapter so far. I really was beginning to feel like there was a sign coming from above not to post this since I lost my entire document once, having to start over-then after retyping most (if not all) of it, Microsoft Word crashed entirely on my computer so I was unable to use it. Oh well, here it is anyway-try to put the pitchforks away and not come after me if you hate it okay?  
On that note, this chapter and the next were supposed to be one big chapter, but I decided to cut it in half so I could give you guys something. As always, thank you so so much for all of your reviews and your continuing inspiration. I love this story so much and it really holds a special place in my heart, so for that-I thank you guys.  
Anyway, enough clamoring on my part, enjoy and please review-it is really what keeps me going here.**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

"I'm just saying Elena, if it wasn't for that family, he could be _quite_ the catch!"

"Stop, Caroline. Elijah was just trying to keep me away from his brother." Elena snapped, stepping out onto the icy city sidewalk from the cab. "He's not an idiot." At least, that she knew of.

"Smart and good looking is a double plus you know." Her friend laughed, stepping to her side. Together, the pair entered the apartment building that Elena had spent so much time in before, her partner's. "How is Damon, by the way? Planning on taking advantage of his days off?" the blonde asked, in what seemed like a snotty tone-but Elena knew how she could be.

Caroline would make a comment like that, working in the fashion industry had turned her into a workaholic and the thought of taking a day off was completely foreign to her, even if she was missing both legs she would do everything she could to get in.

"He's fine, more upset that he is missing Klaus Mikaelson's walk of shame today, but he will get over it." She gave a friendly nod to the superintendent as they walked past, heading towards the elevator to the Salvatore's apartment floor.

"Yeah, Tyler is being really cryptic about this deal that you guys have with him, apparently he had to sign a whole bunch of extra paperwork to keep quiet and won't even tell me."  
Elena knew very well why he didn't say anything, and personally she was glad he hadn't told his girlfriend. Not only would Caroline most likely spill the plan to the wrong people, but Alaric had made a side agreement that they would treat Klaus as if he were going into Witness Protection, a way to keep his identity a secret-a true deal with the devil, and the detective couldn't help but wonder who the devil was in the equation.  
Elena hated it-the detective side of her screaming for real vengeance-but understood the reasoning. _This is the only way, _she had herself convinced by now repeating the mantra in her mind.

The elevator doors opened to the near empty space besides one lonely man standing inside the bleach smelling box, the smell alone was enough to knock both girls off their feet.  
Exchanging glances (knowing that their conversation about the case was over) they stepped in, Caroline, brushing her shoulders down in discomfort.

"You know, you didn't seem too bothered with him by your side." Caroline returned to the initial subject as she smiled with her eyes, "You know…for someone like you who was being taken away from her job."  
The hint was there-layered in what could have been jealousy, or possible warning depending on what Caroline knew about this family, though Elena was quick to brush it off.

The brunette groaned, rolling narrowed eyes towards her friend. "He isn't that bad for conversation." She defended her motives instantly. Had she been enjoying herself? "He has a lot to say." She lied. In fact, Elijah Mikaelson never said much at all actually, he was much more expressive in his reactions to what was happening around him.

"Right." Caroline scoffed, shoving past the man to step out of the elevator as the door opened, "Whatever you say."

Before even knocking, Damon's apartment door swung open to reveal Elena's disheveled partner, his arm wrapped up in a sling and he was still wearing only his flannel pajama pants-though it was already twelve in the afternoon.

"Damon, you sure look ready to go back to work." Elena smiled, patting him on his good shoulder as she slid past with Caroline close behind.

"Yeah, we figured we would bring you something to pass the time." The blonde searched the room with curiosity, having only been there a couple of times and pulled a bottle of bourbon from her large leopard print bag.

"Aw, thanks Barbie." Damon took the bottle gratefully, his blue eyes reflecting the dark liquid as he moved it to the counter. "So, what brings you two ladies here? Stefan isn't home." He knew that they didn't come to see Stefan, but Damon still seemed confused by their visit.

"We figure you may have wanted some company Damon." Elena teased, throwing herself onto the couch with a smug grin.

"What? Before you head into work and put handcuffs on the Mikaelson?" her partner's hand curled inwards in jealousy, he wanted to have him behind bars more than Elena now since he got shot protecting the serial killer they both wanted dead.

"Well yeah, I figured you would want me to give him a message." The brunette returned, relaxing into the sofa. "Besides, Ric had me sticking around to make sure everything was in order last night which is why I didn't get to stop by." She explained, still feeling bad and equally as annoyed that her captain had left her holding the bag after everything that had happened.

"Oh right, he was pretty pissed off about that." Damon was trying to defend Alaric, but was failing. "You've seen how he gets about that family, no one hates them more than he does."

That was something Elena did understand, but she wasn't sure how to answer his next question.

"Listen…Elena," Damon's eyes shifted around to hear Caroline still poking around in the kitchen. "How did you get those tickets anyway? Caroline told me she didn't give them to you last night…"

Looking up, the brunette was unsure what to say. She had made such an effort to keep Damon hidden from all of this, so him questioning her had caught her off guard. "Oh…uhm…" she toyed with her thumbs trying to come up with a good lie, then decided the half-truth would be the best way to go. "I was collaborating with the FBI, they gave me the invitation for us."

From the corner of her eye, Elena saw Caroline round the corner into the living room and raise her eyebrow. She knew very well that it was a lie, even if Elena had been shady on the details herself.

"Oh…" Damon stared at his partner in wonder, "I didn't know the FBI was involved."

"Yeah, when they found out that I was talking to Elijah in the viewing room, they wanted any information they could." She felt horrible for lying to her partner-and one of her best friends-but she had no choice. She promised Alaric she wouldn't say anything, even if she hated keeping it from him. "So I figured why not? Since you rudely got Caroline involved." Narrowing her eyes to him playfully, Elena tossed the throw pillow to her partner, who barely dodged it.

Elena's playful laugh was cut short by the irritating buzzing on her phone. It was expected since she was already late for work, but nonetheless annoying.

"Not already Elena." Caroline whined from the kitchen, she could still hear her friend taking out pots and pans to make lunch…or she was just reorganizing Damon's kitchen…she was never sure what went through her friend's mind.

"Is it time?" Damon queried, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the wall. He looked jealous, but Elena had to ignore it, she needed him here so he could get better.

"Looks like it Care, I'll just catch my own cab. Maybe you can keep this one-" she directed her thumb towards her injured partner. "from going insane?"  
Caroline poked her head around the wall only to roll her eyes at her and disappear again with half of a wave and gave Damon a one-armed hug before running out the door, her heart pounding in excitement.  
Today was the day; Niklaus Mikaelson would be taken off the streets.

The entire precinct was buzzing, sounds of papers being pushed, the pumped up chattering of fellow officers and the angry yelling of some pissed off suspects for other crimes. The place was a zoo, but Elena knew that pretty soon it would turn into a celebration.  
Right now, only Elena knew that this was the eye of the storm however.

"Gilbert." Alaric's voice rose above the rest from his office before the detective could reach her desk. With her head feeling heavy from exhaustion, Elena looked to him as he waved frantically. "Come on Detective, you're late."

Muscles dragging along, Elena shuffled into her captain's office, not expecting to see Rose sitting in the chair before her.

"Agent." Elena sneered through her teeth, moving so that Alaric could shut the door behind her, "Why am I not surprised to see you here?"  
Rose smiled, motioning for her to sit down in the opposite chair, but Elena shook her head. "No, that's all right, I would rather stand."

She knew why Rose was in the precinct; after all, Elena was her spy and had just spent most of her evening with the man she swore to take down. There was only so much avoiding that she could without it becoming obvious-which would probably result in jail time, but no matter what it would end up with her fired- she just hated that it would be so…soon. _She's desperate. _Elena reasoned as she shook her head in frustration.

"Have it your way, Detective." Rose let out a short sigh, giving up on her only semi-cooperative spy. The choppy-haired brunette looked to Ric, who only threw his hands up in the air. He was goal oriented, but he also knew his team and could see it as clear as day that she was unhappy. "Listen…Elena, I'm not the bad guy here you know. You want this, you may not like the means to get there, but this is what you wanted. We have the exact same goals.

In theory, Rose was right. Elena did want to take them down, but not so…maliciously. Not by gaining Elijah's trust, using him and then striking him when he was at his weakest, and not doing it to a man that she had grown to trust herself, and what was even more frightening…respect.  
That was not the kind of justice she was looking for. "I think you need to look up the definition of 'goal'. " Elena smirked with her eyebrow arched to push the woman's mood just a little bit, to force her off that horse down to her level. "But, what do you need from me now?"

There was a brief moment's pause, Rose began to sift through her mind, and Elena could practically _smell_ the gears grinding in her brain as she picked which way to word what was coming next. "Well…I was informed that you spent a lot of time with Elijah last night." Rose's green eyes were smiling, and full of a deeper implication, the look making Elena want to vomit. "Did anything interesting come up"

_You mean, other than his trained, possibly illegal assassin of a guard? _Elena thought with pure driven irritation. What was there even to tell? That Elijah had saved her life, and then after that upon _Alaric's _request she stuck around following nearly getting shot at, his intention most likely to plant her right with him at the bar?  
She hated to disappoint, but all her captain did was make her truly see Elijah Mikaelson as a human being, as more than what his family was, and no longer as a monster.  
He wasn't all that bad once you saw him with his guard down (or around the rest of his family) in fact-as she had told him-they could have been friends under lighter circumstances.

"Elena?" Alaric showed a shred of concern as he cocked his head to look at her, studying her facial expression.  
She hadn't realized that she had been smiling.

"Nothing." She quickly shrugged, "We just talked."

"Talked?" Rose sounded disappointed.

"Yup, that's it."

Not seeming pleased with Elena's report, the FBI agent stood from her chair and approached her with eyes now narrowed in suspicion.

"So…will this be a daily thing?" Elena asked, shifting on her feet. "Because I can just give you my number."

Standing before her now, Rose chuckled as her upper lip twitched in amusement. "No Detective, I already have it."

Sauntering past, Rose nodded goodbye to Alaric and ignored Elena who was only studying her back. "Shame." The detective grumbled as Ric closed the door. "I was sure we would make such great friends."

It was an hour later and Elena's desk was cluttered with catch up work that had been long overdue-all pushed to the side in order to focus solely on hunting down Klaus Mikaelson-when suddenly the desk began to buzz. Searching frantically for the source she moved the papers around like a madwoman until finally finding what she was looking for.

"Damon." Elena snatched her cell phone from under her purple binder and answered it quickly.

"Is he there yet?" her partner sounded bored to tears, the sounds of music from a video game playing in the background. There was no hello, how are you…hey, but that was the typical Damon Salvatore charm, Elena had become numb to it by now.

"Any minute." She replied, lost in thought as she gathered the paperwork that had drifted to the floor. The front desk had called hardly a minute before to tell them that Klaus, Finn, Elijah and Tyler would all be coming up momentarily.

"Listen…you make sure that you get a picture of him in an orange jumpsuit for me all right?" Damon's laugh on the other end had caught Elena's attention again. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise that her partner had been shot only the day before, she didn't want to imagine his reaction if he found out about their 'deal' with the Mikaelsons. Not only was she ordered to keep it from him (though not given a reason why) but she wasn't ready to see that look of betrayal on his face. He would tell her they were 'selling out' or worse…end up taking matters into his own way (another part of the Damon Salvatore charm).

"Yeah, I'll make sure to get right on that." She joked before shutting her phone with hardly a goodbye, the less she spoke to him…the less she would have to lie.  
It was only moments later when from her desk, Elena could hear the elevator doors open, and low chatter bringing her focus from the mess towards the hallway.

_Klaus_ she smiled with pride, seeing now for herself that Elijah had come through for her after all. Of course deep down she knew he would, but she had constantly been expecting the worst-a betrayal of sorts-so had been waiting to _see_ the serial killer in custody before believing it was actually happening.

Standing up to her feet instantly, Elena's breath caught in her lungs from the anxiety as she saw them, her eyes following him, flanked by his oldest brother and Tyler, while Finn was not to be seen.

"Detective." An unfamiliar voice caught her attention and she dropped her gaze from her suspect to turn back.

"Yes?" Elena's eyes dropped a moment, shifting to lock with the gentle looking Finn, the lawyer of the family, with the deep colored eyes that seemed to pierce right through her.

With smooth features somewhat skewed, Finn looked back to his two brothers, nodding for them to continue on towards the interrogation room. Following the direction he was motioning, Elena met Elijah's gaze and followed him closely as he gave her a soft-yet subtle-smile as he walked passed.

"Finn Mikaelson." The other brother interrupted her thoughts, "I don't believe we have met." Elena's eyes drifted down towards his outstretched hand and she met his look again with a smile.

"No, not officially, Detective Elena Gilbert. I met your wife, Sage."

Grinning fondly at the mention of his wife's name Finn shook her hand. "Yes, she mentioned such." He spoke formally, like his brother however minus the arrogant undertone (because even unintentionally, Elijah Mikaelson spoke with a powerful force that made him seem overpowering).

"So, what can I help you with Finn?" She asked, mindlessly fixing the paperwork on her desk. "Shouldn't you be with your family?" Unless things had changed and he was about to take everything back?  
_No_ she told herself, _Elijah would have warned me. _She felt odd placing so much trust in the brother of a man she was prepared to nail to the cross, but she was confident in her decision.

"Well…" Finn seemed to have a lot on his mind (expected, since he was about to get his own brother institutionalized for the rest of his life) but his eyes were focused on her paperwork, "Two things, actually. One, I need the transfer paperwork to ensure my brother's proper placement…" He arched a brow towards the desk, most of the mess was case related-including the gruesome crime scene photos- and he glanced back to her unsure of what belonged where. "Also, my brother speaks very highly of you, so I wanted to personally thank you for making this happen."

His words took her by surprise, at first her mind wondering which brother-though she already knew-and then being taken aback by the gratitude. In a way, he was right, she _didn't _have to do what she did, but then again…she did. They had no evidence against him, in fact all they had was a confession so really…Elijah had helped her more than she helped him.  
Sitting down before responding, Elena searched for the paperwork she needed to give him as her thoughts continued to bounce around in her mind.

Assuming it was Elijah who had spoken highly of her, she was…partially comfortable with the idea, and was ultimately happy with the result. "You're welcome." Though she wanted to put his brother in jail-with the death penalty-, Elijah's offer really was the only thing she had to get him off the streets. It was only natural that she would take it. "Oh, here you go." Elena passed the two papers to the lawyer who bowed his head in thanks, without saying another word. Watching him as he walked away from her, she quickly cleared her desk-tossing the papers into the drawer-and followed him, wanting to see the negotiations finally come to a close.

Her captain, Rose, Tyler and lastly, D.A Martin were already in the conference room, leaving Elena the odd (wo)man out as Finn joined them, now with an extra folder in his hand. Watching from the window, Elena worked on perfecting her lip-reading skills as she set herself on top of the nearest desk, but with Klaus, Tyler and Finn facing away from her, all she managed to receive were hard glances from Alaric while Rose wore a smug grin pointed directly at her.  
God, she hated Rose.

"Here." A rough, familiar aroma passed over her nose, "You look like you could use this."

Looking up to the white styrofoam cup, Elena smiled to the expecting Elijah who was dipping a tea bag into his own. "I'll ignore the insulting undertones." She returned lightly as she took the cup. "Thank you."  
She wasn't sure when she was beginning to accept things from Elijah Mikaelson, but being as his brother was about to be put away for life…this seemed as good a time as any.

Bringing the cup to her lips, Elena savored the taste of the black coffee…as if he knew that she wouldn't want anything added to it, and she was that worn down. This case had taken its toll on her, more than most others.

"Of course," Elijah returned, toying with his tea bag carelessly and leaned against the desk she was sitting on before nodding to her.

"So, why aren't you in there supporting your little brother?" she questioned, not intending to sound as teasing as she did, but she still smirked over the rim of her cup.

The oldest Mikaelson chuckled, sipping from his own. "Too crowded. Besides, I prefer watching from the sidelines…you tend to pick up on things that others tend to miss." He looked up to meet her gaze in the reflection of the glass and his words trailed off. "I see the FBI has dipped their grubby little paws into this." He motioned with his finger and a smirk.

"Yeah…" Elena could feel her heart rate quicken, knowing why the Special Agent was there in the first place. "Strange isn't it?"  
She watched closely as Klaus filled out the paperwork, his two lawyers and the D.A hovering over expectantly as Elena tried everything she could to not give herself away, push her pending betrayal into the back of her mind. She found humor in how Finn seemed to be tearing into each word, looking for a loophole, a way out, but between her and Jonas Martin, they knew how to do their jobs so she wasn't worried.

"Elena," her companion brought her attention back over to him, drawing her eyes over, though he didn't continue until she spoke up as if waiting patiently for her to reply.

"What's up Elijah?"

She could see him hesitate as concern and some form of indecision crossed in his eyes. It was different, seeing him so…out of place. It was almost discomforting, as if he were a rock in the water that was not meant to move.

"I want to thank you again for doing this Elena." She realized he didn't call her Detective Gilbert, this wasn't a professional thanks…this was personal (and before she knew it, she had become a professional at dissecting his words). "I would like to celebrate…I guess."

"Celebrate your brother being locked away for life in a psych ward? That doesn't sound very…honorable? I'm pretty sure that's the word you used."

Elijah's lip twitched up into a smile as he turned to face her better. Something different gleamed in his eyes, amusement-she assumed, but his demeanor seemed to change a little bit more. "More that this horror show is finally over." Looking back to the conference room, he nodded towards Finn, who was packing up his paperwork while two officers entered to talk to Klaus. "I wanted to offer to take you out…dinner maybe?"

_Dinner_ the word shot her attention away from Klaus and the conference room, back to the coy Mikaelson. Her mind raced for a moment, trying to put her words into sentences from her absolute surprise, but she only stared back at him with her mouth agape. _Dinner?_ She thought again, wondering if he was speaking in another language. _Did he just ask me to dinner?_

"Elijah…I…" she began, but he put his hand up to silence her.

"I'm not saying for a date, Elena." He returned casually, maybe all too casually, "I'm just suggesting as friends…or colleagues, allies?"

She still wasn't sure what else to say-two different sets of voices were running through her mind. Alaric's directive speaking _"You need to go out and find yourself a date"_ and then Rose's irritating tone, _"You need to get close to him." _It didn't take much for Elena to find herself torn.  
She wanted to, she wanted to get to know him, having meant her words when she said they could have been good friends…_possibly more_ as Caroline would push.

What she didn't want was for that friendship to be mistaken for her job. She didn't want to be stuck between the FBI, Elijah Mikaelson, and her own interests. That was one love triangle she would fight like hell to avoid.

Yet…she cursed herself for not being able to say no to him. Maybe they already were friends-subtly so-and she just didn't want to admit it.

"All right Elijah." She gave him credit for his boldness, something that she was not expecting from him. "I would like that. When?"

Elijah smiled, his sense of pride seemingly returning and shrugged. "I know this may seem a bit soon, but is tonight all right?" Watching him closely, she could see how from the corner of his eyes he was witnessing his brother being taken away, a look of sadness and regret overcoming him. He had used her for a distraction from his own betrayal to his family. "I am expected to be out of town for a while by the end of the week."

Slightly curving her neck, Elena was prepared to ask more in detail, but decided to save that for a later time. "That sounds perfect to me." She stood, wearing a powerful grin on her face. "But remember Elijah, this is not a date. I owe you the company though…since you did accidentally save my life and all."

Elijah laughed now, placing a hand on her shoulder. "If that is what helps you sleep at night, I will pick you up at seven then?"

So casual and careless, like it wasn't weird that the man who was being investigated as the head of a crime family (which Elena still didn't know the details of), was going to take the lead detective-_former_ lead detective of his brother's case out to dinner. "Sounds like a plan," she smiled, nodding slightly as he turned to walk away from her.

"Elena." Alaric called out to her form the conference room, and she watched as Klaus and his lawyers left the room from the other door, escorted by the officers.

It was over, but she still wasn't done with that family.

"Yeah, Captain?" she questioned, slipping into the now empty room.

"You are going to have to fill out this paperwork before you leave tonight." He directed with a boring tone of voice, but when her gaze shifted over to Rose…she could tell that wasn't all that he wanted.

"Okay…and?" Elena pried, crossing her arms. Her irritated tone clearly pleased the Special Agent, who smirked knowingly before stepping closer.

"I saw you talking with Elijah." She pointed out like she had just found the treasure at the end of the rainbow and watched the detective's expression closely though she was already familiar with this song and dance.

Keeping her features cold and limited, Elena replied quickly. "Did you decode our secret language?" she asked, pushing forward. _Not today_ she convinced herself, _I will __not__ let you get to me today._ "I know it is difficult to understand." She finished, keeping her thoughts to herself.

Rose only found amusement in this, and scrunched her nose like she smelled something vile. "Very cute, Detective. " she paused with a roll of her eyes. "Is there anything that we should know about?"

Rolling her eyes, Elena groaned at her attitude, not wanting to deal with her. She hoped that now that Klaus was dealt with she would sort of…fade into the background, but Elena knew better than that. "No Agent, nothing that you need to worry about." She lied…kind of anyway. "He was just thanking me for helping his family."

Knowingly, Rose and Alaric both exchanged glances before turning to face Elena again. It was as if they were exchanging thoughts, reminding Elena that they were a team.  
"You will be required to cooperate Elena." Her captain directed sternly. "You don't need to play games with us, we are on your side here."

_Are you?_ She wondered, because she sure felt like she was trapped in a corner. "Of course you are." She decided to reply instead, her sarcasm directed entirely to Rose. "Now, if you will excuse me…I have paperwork to do so that I can go home." _Because I have a date tonight. _She recalled, _no..not a date, just friends._ She had to remind herself.

The paperwork took hours to finish, so many fine points to make sure were taken care of with such tedious writing that Elena's eyes were crossing by the time she had finished.  
"Leaving so soon?" Alaric called to her as she rushed to gather all of her papers together.

"Yup," she replied quickly, tossing her hair up into a messy bun. "I have plans tonight."  
She could hear the captain mumble something under his breath as she approached him, with files ready and in hand. "You are the one that said I need to go out and meet someone." She shot at him not even hearing what he had said. "I'm just taking your advice Ric."  
She loved-what he called-'sassing him'/ In a way, it kept her ground during the work hours, knowing that Alaric actually cared about her and during this case it was most important since she trusted him not to intentionally put her in harm's way (unnecessarily at least, she was a cop after all).

"Oh, so you're going on a date?" he questioned while going through the papers she handed him, his eyes glancing up at her like a concerned father's would.

"No, but I am going out." Elena instantly replied, "Maybe I will meet someone along the way." Waving off to her captain, Elena turned her heel to grab her coat and prepare to head out the door, a new feeling of enlightenment taking over.

"Just be safe okay" Alaric bellowed to her and the detective laughed, all in the while she was re-holstering her gun, causing her to turn around and give a halfhearted chuckle.  
"Ric, I'm a blackbelt in taekwondo and I carry a gun…I'm sure I will be okay."  
Quickly throwing on her coat, Elena ran towards the elevator, catching it just in time with a deep breath. In a way, she hoped that she wasn't making a mistake (job-wise, or personal) by going to dinner with Elijah but her curiosity was getting the best of her…she needed to know him.


End file.
